1000 Words
by Lady Kogawolf
Summary: What if love had the power to change time. She decided to find out and embraces a love that would cross from the future to the past, and did it with no regrets.
1. The Dream Isn't Over Yet

A/N: Hi guys...Here is my newest offering to you. This fic is a Naruto/Sakura. In the near future, I will be working on a Itachi/Sakura and a Gaara/Sakura. However, I think that Naruto/Sakura will be my first love, with Gaara in a very close second. Let me make it clear that I am not a Sasuke hater. But, like my IY fics, I've got to have a jerk, so Sasuke is it.

I don't own Naruto or his gang. Nor, do I own the song 1000 words, by Jade and Sweetbox. If you wish to hear the song, you can hear it on FFX-2.

I hope that you enjoy this ride. Please read and review. Also, for those who don't know, but read Kogasangel's fics on the adult site, I am the same author. I just don't want to be accused of stealing my own stuff. It's happened before, and thankfully, I can laugh about it now.

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_"To be hokage...that is my dream!"_

Closing her eyes, the familiar words echoed throughout her brain, teasing her with the hope that they once held for her. But, when she opened her eyes, she could seethe proof that his words did not come to pass, and he, like so many others, died in the great war. In fact, he had died in her arms.

She had not wanted the title. In fact, she had informed the elders of the village that she would not accept it, but her words fell on deaf ears. When she was announced as the new leader for the village, the crowd cheered, and whistled, and she could not help but feel that it should have been him standing in her place.

He was the one who had wanted this.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a soft knock on her door. Turning, she called for the person to enter and watched as her two most trusted advisers walked into her office. Raising her eyebrow, she watched as the shorter of the two take a seat before her desk, and waited patiently for her to sit down.

When she nodded, her adviser asked, "So, you have made up your mind, then?"

"I know that you think that I am being foolish, and I can't say that you are not right." She admitted, her tone soft. "But, what if it works? What if I can prevent the tragedy that claimed so many of our sons and daughters?"

"Don't you mean, what if you could prevent the death of your beloved?" The taller adviser asked, his tone blunt. "Let's just come out and say what you are really planning, shall we. You are doing this to get your lover back, and getting the others back is just a bonus."

The first adviser chuckled, "So, all of this in the name of true love?"

Taking a deep breath, she stood up and walked over to the balcony. "I can't help but think that things would not have turned out the way they did if he were alive." She murmured. "He was the best that this village had to offer, and should have been the hokage. After all, it was his dream."

"And the dream of many other young ninja." The first adviser said. "However, death is a fact of life, my lady, and you have done a very good job of leading this village. Do not discount all that you have done. To do so would be an insult to you, and to his memory. He believed in you, and he loved you, as much as you loved him."

Biting her lip, she turned her eyes to his portrait, and felt the familiar tears beginning to form. She felt the taller of the two move closer to her, and then felt the large hand on her shoulder.

"If you are going to do this, then do it." He said, "But make sure that you can handle the consequences. Things might not change for the better."

Her first adviser stood up. "Indeed. We may not become allies, or friends. You need to consider all of your options before performing this jutsu. It is, after all, considered the most forbidden for a good reason."

"When I go through with this, you will protect my body and younger self?" She asked, and let out a sigh of relief when her companions nodded. "Good. I want you to place my body in suspended animation. This way, my younger self will not awaken and freak out. You don't need a panicked hokage running around, even if it is me."

The two before her nodded again and then turned to the door. However, the shorter one turned and quietly asked, "When will you do it?"

Squaring her shoulders, she firmly said, "Tonight. I will begin when the moon is at its zenith in the sky. I trust that the two of you can take control while I am busy."

The taller one laughed and nodded. "Don't you worry about us. Just make sure that you fix whatever you think needs fixing. I'm behind you all the way."

"As am I." The shorter one said. "I trust you in your decision. Take care of your business, and remember that we believe in you...and in him."

When she was finally alone, she turned and closed her eyes. 'Oh, please." She thought, 'Please help me make things better. I can't do this alone anymore. I'm tired of watching those that I love die. Please, hokages, be with me on this night and see me through this task. With any luck, it will be his face, beside yours, on the monument rather than mine.'

Taking in a deep breath, she sat back down and waited. Now, it was all about time. She could only pray that the jutsu worked. 

* * *

Sakura watched with narrowed eyes as Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai fought. When it finally came to blows, she bit her lip in order to restrain herself from screaming at them in an attempt to break them up.

Kakashi finally grew tired of the yelling, and finally ordered all of them, her included, to do several exercises in hopes that they would be so tired that they wouldn't want to fight.

The boys quickly turned the exercises into a contest and had all three of them, well...Sai merely did it just to provoke the other two, going at their exercises as fast as they could. She didn't even try to keep up, and when she was finally done, she was so tired that she fell to the ground, her legs too unsteady to hold her up.

"So," Kakashi asked, his eye never leaving his book, "Had enough?"

The boys were silent, though she knew that they had now engaged in a glaring contest, and she nodded at her team leader. The older man dropped down and walked over to her, and knelt down beside her.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" He asked, his tone soft, though concerned. When she nodded, he ruffled her hair, much to her displeasure, gave her an eye crinkle, and then went over to talk to the boys.

Shaking her head, she looked up into the night's sky and grinned. The moon was at its highest point, and it was so beautiful.

Standing up, she wobbled a few moments, and was suddenly hit with a strong wave of nausea. She groaned, and caught the attention of her teammates when she began to wretch.

"Uh, Sakura?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes wide. "You're not going to puke, right?"

"The hag probably needs to rest from all that exercise." Sai said, his tone bored. "It's clear that she doesn't get much exercise."

Naruto turned his eyes onto his new teammate and snapped, "Don't talk about Sakura like that, you weirdo."

Sai was about to reply, but Kakashi's sharp voice snapped, "Knock it off." Turning to Sakura, he said, "Why don't you sit down and relax. If you were not feeling well, you should have told me."

Sasuke snorted. "And, you would have told her to exercise at a slower pace." He muttered, and returned the glare that his former sensei shot him.

Smiling weakly, she said, "I'll be ok. I just have to lie down."

She took two steps towards her bedroll, and then felt her body go numb. She knew that she was going to pass out, but could not tell her teammates, and so, all she could do was hope for a landing that did not humiliate her.

When Sakura fell to the ground, Naruto was the first one to her, and he cradled her head in his lap.

"What in the hell is wrong with her?" He demanded, his tone curt. "Why did she pass out?"

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow and shrugged, "Do we look like medics to you?" He snapped.

Kakashi quickly checked her pulse, and found it to be strong. Sighing, he lifted his head and softly said, "I think that she has been pushing herself too hard. Let's get her into her sleeping bag, and in the morning, we will return to the village."

Naruto nodded and glared at Sai when he offered to carry her. There was no way he was letting that penis-obsessed freak near his best friend. Besides, Sakura once told him that Sai's smile scared her. He had to admit, it was pretty spooky.

After he settled her for the night, it was agreed that they, too, would go to bed, and get an early start in the morning. It would be in Sakura's best interest if she were looked over by the hokage, herself.

It didn't take long for the three young men to fall asleep, nor did it take very long for the older man, who sat in a tree, to doze off, his beloved book in his hand.

It was well after midnight when Sakura's eyes opened, her expression confused. Slowly, she turned her head and found that she was staring over at the one person she had hoped to see and had to save.

The jutsu worked. It worked and now, her younger self's mind was in her body, under the protection of her two closest friends.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she studied Naruto's handsome face, and she remembered how he looked the day he died in her arms. He was just as handsome now, as he had been then.

Slowly, she sat up and took a look around, her eyes narrowing when they fell on Sasuke's prone form. Sensing that he was not a threat, at least not now, she turned to look at Sai, and smiled fondly. He, before he, too, had died, had become close to her heart, and she had cried for a week when he was ripped from her.

Moving out of her bedroll, she caught sight of Kakashi, and she could not help but lose a soft sob from her throat. His death, besides Naruto's, had been one of the hardest she had handled. The day she said goodbye to him, was the day she had become the sixth hokage. Her coronation had been bathed in blood, and so had her reign.

But, she was here, and now, she could defend them. She knew all of the jutsus, and the techniques that she would need to protect them with.

She would not allow her home, or her loved ones to be lost to the will of a woman, who was worse than Orochimaru and the Akatski combined. She would kill the traitor, if need be, and she would do it with a smile on her face.

But, for tonight, she would watch over them, and she would allow herself to believe that this was the start of a better future. She had to. She could not allow the horror of her future to be repeated, and she would find a way to make sure that Naruto achieved his dream, even if it meant sacrificing all that she had achieved in the future.

This plight was worth it. And so, the woman, who was now within her younger self, watched over those she had called family with a smile on her face. It was good to be home. 

* * *

So, that bitch who dared call herself the sixth hokage had used the forbidden jutsu and returned to a time when her younger self could not defend against a mental attack.

Well, what's good for the goose, is good for the gander.

Of course, she had known that the foolish woman would attempt this jutsu. It was clear in her actions, and now, her body was being protected in the hokage tower, guarded by those two fools she chose to keep at her side.

What a joke! As if she'd allow that pathetic whore to alter time, just so she could have her precious Naruto back.

That fool wasn't fit to lead anybody, let alone the village, and she would see to it that this time, she was the one gifted with the title of hokage, and when she was, she would banish Uzamaki Sakura far away. Or, she'd just kill her and make things much more simple.

Yes, she liked that idea.

Now, all she had to do was get used to her younger body. That was going to take some getting use to. She had forgotten what it was like when she was a kid, and though she was strong, she wasn't strong enough to take on the hokage, at least not like this.

No, she'd have to be very careful. It would take some time, but she was pretty sure that she could come up with something worthwhile.

After all, Rome wasn't built in a day, and wars couldn't be started in a day, either. But, this time, she'd make sure that all who opposed her would die, and if she was lucky, the sixth hokage would fall, too.

Smiling happily, she snuggled deep into her covers and sighed. Oh, yes. This time around, she wasn't going to make the same mistakes she did as she did when she was younger. She was older, wiser, and more powerful. She'd make Naruto and Sakura pay for falling in love, and leaving her to nurse a broken heart.

After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.


	2. Save Your Tears 'Cause I'll Come Back

A/N: I'm so glad that you guys are enjoying my new fic. Thanks so much for the great reviews, and for putting up with my muse. Please enjoy this newest chapter. 

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Naruto snorted and turned over onto his back, before opening his eyes. Frowning, he could not help but feel as if he were being watched, and so, slowly turned his head to find Sakura watching him, a small smile upon her lips.

"SAKURA!" He yelled, not caring that now he had awoken the other three men. Jumping up, he ran over to her, and dropped down to his knees before placing his hand on her forehead, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.

"You really had us worried." He said, his tone slightly accusing. "Next time, don't push yourself so hard, ok?"

Her small smile widened and she nodded slowly. He was just as she remembered him, though younger. However, his looks were still as handsome as they had been when they were adults. She felt him pull his hand away and she looked up to find Kakashi standing over her, his eye crinkled in a fashion that let her know that he was smiling.

"I'm glad to see that you are feeling better, Sakura." He said, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "But, I still think that we should return to the village, just to make sure that you really are back to normal."

When the older man moved away, she fought hard not to pout. Damn it. She hated it, in her younger days, when he messed her hair up, and she found that she still hated it, even after he had been ripped away from her.

Sasuke silently regarded her, though didn't say a word to her. For that, she was glad. Time had taught her that sometimes, those we thought were important to us, turned out to be the biggest disappointments. Sasuke was a prime example.

Sai, however, didn't seem to have a problem in finding something to say to her. "You know, hag." He began, "That was some fall you took yesterday. Perhaps one of us had better carry you, just in case you decide on a repeat performance."

Naruto's bellow of outrage echoed throughout the woods, and soon, he and Sai began to bicker back and forth, leaving her to shake her hand and smile fondly at both of them. Their argument was finally settled when Kakashi appeared between them, and calmly said, "You can carry this discussion back at the village, but I think that we should get going. It's going to start raining soon, and I don't want to be caught in it."

She looked up at the sky, and took in a deep breath. It had been a long time since she had smelled anything that didn't have the underlying scent of burning wood to it. It was funny to discover all of the little things you miss, especially when they are ripped away from you.

So, without another word to each other, they quickly packed their belongings, and began to make their way back to the village. Naruto continued to steal small glances at her, and though she was aware of them, she focused her attention on the surrounding woods.

In her time, it was no longer safe to walk through the woods, and so, she had forbidden any of the villagers and shinobi from venturing out from behind Konoha's walls without an armed escort. Their enemies knew just where to hit them, and though she had made great progress in pushing them back, they were still out there. Waiting.

It only took them a couple of hours, but when the gates to Konoha finally emerged, she found her breath caught in her throat as she looked upon her home. There were no damages, no signs of battle on the walls. In her time, the walls were smeared with the blood of those shinobi who had fought to protect Konoha, and fell.

Stopping in her tracks, she stared up at the five faces of the hokages, and was a little shaken not to see her own face, though she had known it would not be there. After all, in this time, she was Haruno Sakura, and not Uzumaki Sakura, the sixth hokage.

"Come on, Sakura." Naruto urged, his tone laced with worry. "Let's get you to baa-chan, and she'll make sure that you get a full check up."

He reached out and grasped her hand, lacing his fingers with hers as he led her through the gates. She looked around, her eyes taking in all of the villagers moving around, smiles upon their faces, and the children playing games, and laughing.

There was no laughter in her Konoha. All the laughter in her village died, long ago and were buried with her loved ones.

She allowed Naruto to pull her along, and shut out any comments about how Konoha's knuckle-headed shinobi was holding her hand. However, she simply savored the feeling of his touch, and would accept any other touch he gave to her.

Kakashi watched Sakura from the corner of his eye. She seemed...off. She was looking around, as if she had never seen Konoha before, and were trying to memorize every sight she came across. Now, he was worried. Sakura was definitely not acting like herself.

Besides, she'd never let Naruto hold her hand, so for her to allow him to touch her now, proved to him that something was wrong with her.

She soon found herself in front of her mentor, and watched as the woman examined her, in front of her teammates. When Tsunade-sensei stepped back, she shrugged.

"I don't know what happened," She said, "But, Sakura is in good shape. I see no reason for her not to continue her training, unless you are done training for the day."

Sighing, Kakashi nodded. "Yeah, we're done." He murmured, though his eye was still locked onto Sakura's form. "I've got something to do, so I will see all of you, tomorrow."

Sakura watched as her former sensei disappeared in a poof of smoke, and frowned. Damn it, she just knew that he suspected that something was up with her. She had not meant to make herself so damn obvious, but to see Konoha in all of its glory, well, it was unsettling to her.

Tsunade shrugged, and motioned for the younger shinobi to leave, but then said, "Sakura, I'd like to speak with you for a moment."

When she nodded, Naruto grinned and said, "When you are done, come and meet me at the ramen shack. I'll treat you to lunch."

Sasuke snorted and turned to leave, with Sai following him. The artist paused at the door, and shot Sakura one of his grins, only to have her return his forced grin with a genuine smile of her own. Blinking, Sai turned and left the room, wondering why she had not yelled at him for being creepy, or trying to spook her.

Tsunade sat down in her chair and felt Shizune move behind her. When Sakura was seated, Tsunade asked, "Do you want to tell me what happened to cause you to faint, Sakura?"

"I overdid it." She replied, though even to her, the excuse sounded weak. She gave her sensei a weak smile only to have the woman narrow her eyes. "I don't believe that, Sakura. You are one of our fittest shinobi, so for you to pass out, just because of a few exercises, that tells me that something else is going on."

Sakura bristled at the tone, but forced herself to calm down. Taking in a deep breath, she said, "I have not been sleeping well, for a while. I'm fine, now. Honest."

Tsunade frowned and then nodded. "Alright, but if you pass out again, I'm going to haul you in and put you through extensive testing, understood?" She asked, her tone telling Sakura that she meant what she said.

Nodding quickly, Sakura smiled and said, "I understand. Thank you, Sensei."

Motioning for Sakura to leave, Sakura stood up and moved to the door, only to have it thrown open and Genma rush in. Bowing low to the hokage, he said, "We've got a major problem."

Sakura paused, but then nodded when Shizune said, "Please close the door on your way out, Sakura."

Once the door was closed, Sakura leaned against the door and frowned. She thought back to this particular date, and the events that had occurred around this time, and what would cause such worry. After several minutes, she finally remembered.

This day had been the beginning of the nightmare. While it had been a minor loss, it had still hit her hard, and it was all because the hokage had not had the information to make a more informed decision.

As she walked away, she was almost positive that her old sensei was being told of shinobi from the land of thunder were attempting to invade their village. While it was true, what the hokage didn't know, was that those thunder shinobi were being helped by someone who knew the layout of their territory.

As she was about to walk down the stairs, the door to the hokage's office was yanked open and Shizune appeared. She looked frantic, and when she saw Sakura, she said, "Gather all of the shinobi that you come across. We are about to go after some shinobi who have dared to challenge us."

Sakura's eyes narrowed, but she nodded. Turning on her heel, she mentally berated herself for not storming back into the hokage office and telling Tsunade-sensei all that she knew about this particular event, but...she couldn't.

She could not tell them who she really was, nor could she tell them about the events that would occur. But, she could give a slight nudge, and perhaps, that would be enough. If she had to, she'd do more than nudge, but she'd do her best to be as discreet as possible.

Soon, all of the shinobi of Konoha were assembled, and were awaiting their hokage's orders. When Tsunade stepped out, her face was ashen.

"It would seem that shinobi from the land of thunder have decided to attack us, though we are unclear as to why." She announced, her voice strained. "Because we only have a few number of jounin, I have decided to send chunnin and genin to handle this situation."

Sakura watched with narrowed eyes as her sensei's shoulders wilted. It was clear to her that the woman knew that this would be an uphill battle. However, the next words out of Tsunade-sensei's mouth made her blood run cold.

"I have decided to send Shikamaru as leader of this mission, with Lee and Neji being his seconds in command." She said, her honey-colored eyes moving over each of the men.

Sakura's stomach twisted violently. Shikamaru and Lee lost their lives in this mission, and Neji returned home, his hands so badly damaged that he could no longer function as a shinobi. Their enemy had used a very strong acid and managed to burn all three men, as they passed through the narrow path.

Tsunade continued her speech, telling all three men that they would be walking through a small path that was hidden within the neighboring mountain. She said that if they continued on that path, they would find their enemy.

Sakura watched as all three men nodded, and were cheered on by their fellow shinobi. No, she could not let this happen. She could not watch them die. Not again.

"Lady Tsunade, you can't send them through that path." Sakura said, her tone strong. "They'd be walking right into an ambush."

The crowd was silent, and Naruto violently tugged on her hand, though she ignored him. Her mentor's eyes narrowed, and she calmly said, "Sakura, that path is perfectly safe. Our enemy won't know about it, and will be surprised."

"No." Sakura said, her tone equally calm. "Our enemy will know about it, and will also know about the small ledges that are littered along the sides that make the perfect hiding places. They are far from stupid, and will have scouted the area before making themselves known. If you send our shinobi through that path, we will lose part of Konoha's strength. We can't afford to be reckless, not now, and never again."

Neji snorted, and looked up at the hokage, whose eyes were still locked with Sakura's. For some reason, the older woman could not simply tell her student to sit down and be quiet. Sakura's eyes were hard, as if she knew that she were speaking the truth. It was odd to see Sakura so strong, and not afraid to speak her mind, but it was even more odd to see her speak with such authority.

After a few tense moments, Tsunade said, "Alright, Sakura. Do you have any better ideas?"

"We don't have to go through the mountain, but we can utilize the pathways the will take us around the mountain." Sakura replied, as she crossed her arms. If memory served her, those pathways would take them right behind their enemy, thus surprising them.

"The thunder shinobi will be counting on a direct attack, but if their attention is focused on what is in front of them, then they won't be looking behind them, believing that we will take the bait and use the path. Going around the mountain will take longer, but we will have the element of surprise, and we are going to need it."

Tsunade slowly nodded, but then looked at Shikamaru. "Alright, change in tactics." She said. "You will follow the paths around the mountain. Under no circumstance are you to go through the mountain."

Shikamaru sighed and glared at Sakura for making the job harder than it had to be. Walking over to her, in front of the other shinobi, he said, "Thanks for the faith in our abilities, Sakura. This is going to be such a drag."

"You'll be thanking me later, Shikamaru." She replied, her tone soft. "I have no doubt in your abilities, but I would hate to have to bury people that I consider to be friends, just because laziness."

"Whatever." Shikamaru muttered, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and he motioned to Lee and Neji. "Well, let's get this over with."

Lee and Neji nodded, and followed their leader, and watched as some of the other chuunin began to follow them, and were soon out of sight.

Sakura turned to look at her sensei, whose eyes were blazing with anger. "I want to speak to you, Sakura. Right now, in my office." She snapped, her tone leaving no room for argument. When her student nodded, she turned and stormed back into her office, slamming the doors behind her.

Sakura smiled slightly. She felt a large hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Kakashi standing over her, his eye narrowed, telling her that he was very upset.

"What did you think that you were doing?" He demanded, angrier than she had ever heard him. Shrugging his hand off, she replied, "I did what I had to do to prevent unnecessary deaths. Tell me, what do you know of those mountains, and their paths? Have you ever had a reason to go and explore them?"

When he could not reply, she nodded. "Exactly." She said. "You know nothing, and neither did the shinobi that left here. I, however, do know that the path that was suggested is nothing more than a deathtrap, and I won't be responsible for their deaths. So, that is what I was doing. Now, please excuse me. I have an ego to placate."

Moving towards the hokage tower, and ignoring the stunned stares of her teammates. She quickly made her way to the office that she knew so well, and knocked.

When the door opened, a book flew at her head, but she caught it and sighed. "Well, that was uncalled for." She muttered, and moved inside and closed the door. Shizune's mouth dropped open at the sight of her lady flinging a book at her star pupil, and even more shocking was the pupil catching the book and calmly closing the door without her own temper exploding.

"I should beat you to a bloody pulp." Tsunade growled, her eyes narrowed in a glare. When Sakura shrugged, it only made her anger grow. "What in the hell is going on with you? Perhaps I should have given you a full physical, because you are not acting like yourself, at all."

Sakura sat down in the chair that was directly across from her sensei and softly said, "I understand why you are angry, but please understand, I meant no disrespect. I know that particular mountain, and I know what is in that path. They would have been severely hurt, if not killed. Doesn't this attack seem a bit quick to you? Thunder would not attack us without a good reason, so why are they attacking and what do they have to gain?"

Tsunade frowned and sat down. Crossing her arms, she said, "We are still recovering from the loss of the third hokage and shinobi. Perhaps they are attacking while we recover. Besides, how do you know about the path in the mountain?"

"If we were really hurting from the loss, then we could go to Suna, and request aid, seeing as how they gave us an unconditional surrender." Sakura replied. "The kazekage would send help immediately. And, I know about the mountain because I've hiked the paths some time ago, when I needed to be alone."

That, actually, was the truth. When Naruto and the others had died, she had hiked that mountain, hoping to find somewhere that she could hide away, but instead, finally discovered how the thunder shinobi had gotten the drop on them. Of course, this was before she had become hokage, and before she had ordered her people to stay inside Konoha's walls. But, that particular hike had opened her eyes to several things, and had closed the door on many of her original beliefs.

She had been such a child in this time of her life, but in her young mind, she had thought herself a woman. The sad fact was, it had taken the loss of her loved ones, and friends, to make her grow up, and lose the childish ideals that she had struggled to keep for so long. Now she could understand Kakashi's need to have his books. They were his escape, and his only salvation from the life he could not leave. Those perverted books were his anchor. There was no such thing as an automatic happy ending. People made their own endings, and were responsible for how their lives turned out.

She would make sure that, this time, her life would be the one from her dreams, though they were the dreams of a woman, who loved a man more than her own life. She was no longer blinded by the good looks of a dark avenger, whose soul had been corrupted by his own hate, but rather her eyes were now upon a bright star, who could shine brighter than any other person she had ever known. He just didn't know how to quit, and that was what her Konoha needed. They needed a protector.

Both Shizune and Tsunade were quiet. Finally, Tsunade sighed. "From this point on, if you have a difference of opinion, take it up with me in private. Do not ever call me out in front of the others again, are we clear?"

"Crystal." Sakura said, and stood up. She turned to leave, and then looked over her shoulder. "I know that you are embarrassed, right now. But, I'm sure you would feel a lot worse if our people returned in body bags. I don't have the time or patience to coddle prides. However, if I disagree with you, I will let you know it, quietly."

When she was gone, Tsunade turned to Shizune. "Does she seem different to you?" She asked, curious. "I feel as if I am speaking to someone my own age and not to a teenager."

"She does seem more focused, and does make several good points." Shizune replied, and then grinned. "Maybe little Sakura is finally growing up."

Laughing, Tsunade shook her head. "If this is just a taste of how she will be when she is an adult, then I have no worries that when I am gone, Konoha will be in good hands with her and Naruto around." 

* * *

She entered the bar, and wrinkled her nose. The smell of sweat, alcohol, and vomit hit her senses, and she now remembered why she had stopped coming her when she was in her mid-twenties. However, she spied the table with her friends and walked over, and took a seat beside Naruto.

The blonde immediately grinned at her. "So, did baa-chan let you have it?" He asked, curious. He and the others at the table grew quiet, and waited for her response.

Shrugging, Sakura ordered a drink and then said, "Not really. She just wanted to hear my reason for speaking up, and I told her."

"She flung a book at you, didn't she?" Naruto asked, his eyes knowing. "Every time I piss her off, I get one flung at my head."

"And, it always hits him." Kiba snorted, and hugged Hinata to his side. The Hyuuga heiress blushed and timidly asked, "Are you all right, Sakura?"

"Well, yes she did throw a book at me, and no, she didn't hit me." Sakura replied, grinning. "I caught it. And, yes I am all right, Hinata."

Naruto's mouth dropped open and he was silent for the first time in a long time. Baa-chan actually missed. Ino moved next to her and she said, "Doesn't Sasuke look good tonight?"

Glancing down the table at the young man, Sakura shrugged and said, "He'd look at lot better if he quit his fucking moping."

Ino's mouth dropped open, but then she asked, "So...does that mean that you are over Sasuke?"

Sakura's green eyes darted up to Ino's hopeful expression and she sighed. "He's all yours, Ino." She said, waving the girl away. When the girl squealed, Sakura winced and lowered her eyes.

_'Good lord, was that how I used to sound?'_ She thought. _' No wonder Sasuke used to tell me that I was annoying.'_

As the large group continued to talk, the door to the bar burst open and Shizune stood in the entrance, her chest heaving. Her eyes moved over the occupants and finally rested on Sakura. Moving forward, the older woman stopped in front of the table and was about to speak to Sakura, but Kakashi interrupted her.

"Are you all right, Shizune?" He asked, his hands upon Sakura's shoulders. He had listened to his former students talking, and nearly laughed when he heard Sakura say that a book was flung at her, but she had caught it. Naruto was never that lucky, though he should know better by now, seeing as he is constantly getting hit in the head by the books.

Pointing at Sakura, she said, "You were right. They were hiding, and waiting to ambush our shinobi. Sakura, had they gone through that path, they would have had a very powerful acid thrown on them, and it would have disfigured them, if not killed them. Lady Tsunade wants to see you, now."

She stood up, intent on following Shizune, but was stopped by Kakashi. "I'm going with Sakura." He said, and then gave an eye crinkle. "Besides, she might need someone to protect her from flying books."

Shizune gave the tall man a tired smile, but then motioned for them to follow her. Soon, they stood before the hokage, whose eyes were red and swollen, an indication that she had been crying.

"When I received the message from Shikamaru, I couldn't believe it." She said, wiping her eyes. "When they went around the mountain, they found the thunder shinobi, and managed to take them by surprise. They also managed to discover that they were ordered to kill anyone who came through the path by using an acid that was stronger than normal acid. Because of you, our shinobi are coming home. Alive."

Standing up, Tsunade moved around her desk and embraced her student. For the first time in a very long time, Tsunade didn't hold her tears at bay. Instead, she allowed them to roll down her cheeks, thankful that she did not have to have to carry around the deaths of shinobis that she led, on her shoulders.

Smiling, Sakura closed her eyes and said a simple prayer to her beloved.

_'Did you hear that, dearest.'_ She thought. _'I'm making it all better. I won't let you go, not this time, and I'll make sure that our friends are by us when you become hokage and save us all. Believe it, Naruto.'_

* * *

She faded back into the shadows and frowned. Damn that bitch. Had those foolish thunder shinobi actually succeeded, her job would have been easy. Now, because Sakura had butted in and prevented their deaths, she had no way of knowing if her plans would turn out as they should.

Walking towards her home, she began to think of ways to rectify this situation. Had Nara Shikamaru died, then Konoha would have lost a valuable tactical source. However, since he had been saved, she would have to alter her plans.

Perhaps she could convince the avenger that he would be better off on her side. It was true that he had abandoned Orochimaru, and it was also true that he was under the impression that he had killed the snake master. However, she knew that the old snake had survived, and if she could convince him to join her, then she could promise him the information that Sasuke would need to actually kill off the snake, and then finally take his revenge on his brother.

It was a very good idea, and one she would have to explore. However, her body was still a major hurdle. If she wanted to get ahead, she would have to find the necessary items to perform the jutsu that would enable her to change her body, and shape it to the form she needed.

But, even then, Sakura would still have the advantage. She had managed to create a jutsu that was so dangerous, it was nearly impossible to get near the woman, much less touch her. Of course, she could always use her beloved Naruto as a way to get the sixth hokage to fuck up, but she couldn't be sure that she would.

In the end, Sakura would do what was best for Konoha, just like her sensei, Lady Tsunade. Well, she had time, and she wasn't going to waste her time on worrying about the small details. All that mattered to her was seeing Sakura, on her knees, begging for mercy.

Oh, to see that high and mighty bitch beg. When that day came, she would finally have her revenge, and Naruto and Sakura would be no more.


	3. Your Words Were Like A Dream

A/N: Ok, I'm really hating this new formatting thingy. Anyways, please read, review, and enjoy

* * *

Sakura stared up at the moon, her mind racing with memories and dreams. In her youth, she had thought it so cool to have her own apartment, her own little piece of solitude. But, as she got older, she grew weary of the silence, and was grateful for her beloved husband's loud presence.

But, in this tiny apartment, she was caught off-guard when the memories of her life with Naruto hit her, and she could, at times, still hear his voice, as if he were still alive and right beside her.

_"Sakura, I love you."_

Closing her eyes, she rested her forehead against the cool window and sighed. His voice, even when they were younger, held such promise and hope. When he died, so did her dreams.

_"One day, when I am hokage, I am going to protect this village with everything I have. I will show them that they can rely on me to watch over them, and protect them from all those who threaten them."_

Turning from the window, her eyes scanned the tidy living room, and she smiled. After she and Naruto got together, she never had a tidy anything, anymore. The man simply couldn't keep things neat. It just wasn't in his nature, and she found that it was one of the things that she loved about him.

_"I will always be here, Sakura. We are going to be together for the rest of our lives, and even when we are both dead, we will be together in paradise. I will never leave you."_

But, he did leave. He left, and now, she was alone. She was hokage, and he was a memory. Turning back to the window, she could feel the long-repressed tears forming in her eyes, and she stubbornly refused to allow them to fall. She refused to cry.

She stopped crying the day she buried Kakashi-sensei.

_"I know that I'm not the smartest, or even the strongest man, but I've got determination, and that is what makes me successful. Sakura, you and I will care for Konoha together, and we will make the past hokages proud."_

Gods, she loved that man. He was never selfish, except when it came to her. She was the one thing that he wanted all to himself, and she reveled in his love.

_"Sakura."_

It was clear to her that even the memory of his voice soothed her, especially when she was alone. So, in actuality, he did keep his promise about never leaving her. His memory was a welcome distraction, especially now, while she fought to keep those she cared for from dying.

"Sakura?"

Turning, she found herself face-to-face with her husband's younger version. His bright blue eyes were steady as he stared at her, his face twisted with concern.

"Are you ok?" He asked, looking her over. "You didn't answer me the first time I called your name, so we came in."

Shaking her head and giving him a smile, she replied, "I'm fine. I've just had a lot on my mind."

Nodding, Naruto sat down next to Sai, who had taken a seat on her couch. Sasuke was leaning against the door, and had his eyes trained upon her, as well.

The blonde grinned at her and said, "Shikamaru, Lee, and Neji have all returned, and will be at the bar tonight. We're going to buy them drinks for a job well done."

"That's nice." She said, absently. It had only been two days since she had prevented them from taking a path through the mountain, and preventing their deaths, and now, she could not help but wonder what kind of changes were already taking place back in her own time.

Sai gave her one of his large, fake grins and said, "We want you to come too, hag. You deserve a drink, as well."

Lifting her eyebrow, Sakura remembered that this 'pet name' of his was not something she had been too fond of. Of course, when they were a little bit older, he had confessed that he had given names that were opposite of how he thought of people.

Take Ino, for example. He thought that she was not all that attractive, but called her beautiful. It was his way of trying to fit in with others, but had realized, after a sound beating from Sakura, that he had been wrong in his assumption, and stopped with the fake pet names.

So, the next time he had seen Ino, he called her hideous, and earned himself a night's stay in the hospital, much to Sakura's amusement.

"Sai, while I understand why you call me 'hag', let me just say that it is inappropriate and with anyone else, would be considered an offensive name." She said, giving the dark-haired man a serious look. "I have a name, and I would appreciate it if you did not call me hag."

Cocking his head, Sai asked, "Why is it offensive?"

Naruto's eyes were wide as, for once, Sakura managed to refrain from yelling at the artist that he was a social retard. Instead, she had decided on a different tactic, and it seemed to be working.

"Some names are considered rude, and hurtful." Sakura explained. "Hag is used for someone who is considered to be very ugly, and not desirable."

Sai's face appeared thoughtful, and he then said, "But, we all know that you are not ugly, and we know that Naruto finds you very desirable. If everyone knows that it isn't true, why is it hurtful?"

Naruto nearly beat the shit out of the artist, but froze when Sakura began to giggle. Looking up, he found her smiling at him, and he gave her a shaky grin back. Ok, so maybe he wouldn't kill Sai, but only critically wound him.

"Some names are hurtful, and if someone says something that they know isn't true, then it tends to discredit them in the eyes of other people." Sakura said, her tone steady. "But, if someone, like Ino, finds out that you find them ugly, and call them beautiful as a way of being sarcastic, then that isn't right, either. You need to let go of the pet names and just stick with a person's given name, or at least figure out a nickname that is not hurtful or offensive. Understand?"

The artist slowly nodded in understanding. Finally, someone explained to him why some people would get angry with him when he would call out to them. Ok, he could do that, but he just couldn't see himself calling Sakura by her name. It was just unnatural to him.

As he watched her talk to Naruto, he smiled as he ran through several possible names for her. Finally, he came to decide on one, and knew that it was a good choice. Besides, who could ever be offended at being called a butterfly?

And, how was it that she knew how he felt about Ino? He didn't remember telling her how he felt, or anyone else. It certainly was strange.

* * *

Sakura cringed as she was led into the loud bar. Naruto led the way, and she soon found herself between Naruto and Sasuke as they toasted the three young men for their victory.

Lee was telling the entire table about what had happened, and that Neji had convinced the thunder ninja's leader to tell him who had sent them. When the information had been given, Neji quickly silenced the leader by slitting his throat, while Shikamaru found out about the acid that had been waiting on them.

It still rattled the three men that they could have been killed, or disfigured, but they were home safe, and for that, they were thankful.

Shikamaru stood up and held up his hand for silence. Their group had been joined by the older group of ninjas, including Kakashi and Asuma. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and said, "I know that this mission was a drag, but we gained a lot of important information. The hokage is aware of who sent them, and she has decided to call upon Suna for aid while this situation is being handled."

The large crowd cheered, and Sakura smiled indulgently. However, her smile faded when Shikamaru's eyes turned to her.

"I guess I owe you one, Sakura." He said, his tone bored. "If you had not butted in, we could have been hurt, so I guess you weren't being troublesome. This time."

Lifting her eyebrow, Sakura gave him a tight-lipped smile and said, "Well, that was the most unusual compliment I have ever received, save from Sai, but thank you, I think."

The lazy genius gave her a nod, and sat down, his arms crossing over his chest. Tenten grinned at her and released her grip from Neji's and Lee's arms, and leaned forward.

"How did you know about that path, Sakura" She asked. It was strange that Sakura would know about it, seeing as how it was well known that Sakura hardly left the village, unless it was on a mission.

Sakura knew she had to be careful when she answered. Things like this innocent question could raise suspicions, especially from people like Kakashi-sensei and Neji.

"A while back, I decided to go hiking, just to get away from everything." Sakura said. _'It was easy to do, seeing as how I was trying to escape the pain of my friends and loved ones dying.'_ She thought.

Tenten gave her a sympathetic smile. "I hear you." She said, and then sighed. "I'm just glad that you knew about it and stopped them. I would have hated to lose both of my boys."

When Neji and Lee protested about being called boys, Sakura smiled and shook her head. Every single kunochi could understand where Tenten was coming from. Hell, even to this day, she still considered Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai to be her boys. Had he not hurt her the way he had, Sasuke would have been in that category, too.

"How is the hokage doing?" Choji asked, his eyes never leaving the plate in front of him.

Everyone turned to look at Sakura, and she sighed. Well, this was what she got for being the student of Tsunade.

"She is understandably upset." Sakura said, shrugging. "When you lead people, and you give orders that might cost someone their life, it is a heavy burden to carry. Thankfully, she doesn't have to worry about burying anyone, and I think that instead of dwelling on this, we need to move forward, and not concern ourselves with the 'could have beens'.

Odd. Even though they were her advisers, and she could either take or ignore their advice, what she had just told her friends was the exact same thing that they have said to her, over and over again. Geez, she'd never hear the end of it if she were to tell them that they had been right.

Kakashi nodded and patted Sakura on the head, messing up her hair. "I think that you are right, Sakura." He said, giving her an eye crinkle as he ignored her attempts to smack his hand away from her hair. "Right now, we've got to concentrate on making sure Konoha is properly defended."

Giving Sakura's hair one more ruffle, he sat back down, and watched as her hands worked frantically to straighten the mess he had made.

Sakura sighed and decided that her hair was a lost cause. But, just as her hands came down to rest in her lap, Naruto's large hand reached up and tucked some of her hair behind her ear, while shooting her a boyish grin.

"You look beautiful, tonight." He whispered. "Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei didn't do too much damage, and your hair still looks good."

She gave him a smile and felt his hand reach underneath the table to grasp hers. He gave her smaller hand a light squeeze, and then pulled away, his eyes darting to the table as a blush spread across his cheeks.

_"Sakura, I love you."_

Her husband's words echoed in her head as she looked at his younger version, and she felt the horrible pang in her heart. He had always been so gentle with her, even when she used her fists to make him do what she wanted him to do.

Reaching over, she grasped his hand and when his shocked eyes met hers, she smiled brightly, and gave his hand a squeeze, silently telling him that she cared.

He would never guess just how much she really did care.

Kakashi watch his two former students, and frowned. Never before had Sakura allowed Naruto to touch her, unless she had to, and now, here she was, holding his hand and smiling at him. If he didn't know better, he'd say that he was watching a woman showering the man she loved with affection.

Shaking his head, he snorted at the thought. Sakura being in love with Naruto? It was crazy, and totally out of her character. But, he was still at a loss as to why she was being so tender with the loud-mouth.

* * *

Sakura awoke and felt her head ringing. That would be the last time she 'let go' and had that many drinks.

She slowly got out of her bed, and walked into her bathroom. After a hot shower, and using her chakra to ease the pain of the hangover, she quickly got dressed and ate some breakfast before heading out for her team's training session.

She was the first to arrive, and decided to stretch while she waited. After several minutes, she froze and narrowed her eyes. She knew that someone was watching her, and quickly, she scanned the area as she reached into her weapon's pouch and pulled out a kunai.

"I know that you're here, so save yourself some time and just come on out." She snapped, her tone demanding.

Her eyes widened as some bushes began to rustle, and out stepped a young girl. Her eyes narrowing, Sakura gritted out, "Hanabi, what are you doing here?"

Hanabi silently regarded Sakura for several minutes, but then shrugged. "I was looking for my sister." She explained, her voice just as soft as Hinata's. "You have not seen her, have you?"

"No, I have not." Sakura replied, her posture relaxing a bit. The younger Hyuuga gave her a small smile and moved to walk past her, but froze when Sakura asked, "Why were you hiding in the bushes, Hanabi?"

Turning, Hanabi's white eyes stared at Sakura and her smile dropped. "I told you. I was looking for my sister." She said.

Before she could reply, she heard Naruto's voice, calling her, and she sighed. Placing the kunai back into its pouch, she looked over at Hanabi and calmly said, "Hinata isn't here. Perhaps you can find her with Kiba."

The little girl's nose wrinkled, but she nodded. Moving past Sakura, she stopped when Naruto, Sai, and Sasuke walked past her, and allowed her eyes to narrow on all three men. She didn't say a word, but once she was done with her inspection of them, she turned and silently walked away.

"That girl," Naruto grumbled, "Gives me the creeps."

Sasuke snorted and shook his head. "Even though she isn't the clan heiress, her father holds her to a pretty high standard, and because of it, she has developed his attitude." He said, his own eyes trained on the retreating form of the youngest Hyuuga.

Sakura didn't say a word. Instead, she turned and shrugged. Though her story didn't fool her, she was pretty sure that the girl was up to no good. After all, why hide in bushes, if she were looking for her sister. It wasn't as if Hinata was hiding underneath a rock.

Naruto moved over to Sakura's side and softly asked, "How's your head?"

"I had a hangover, but quickly got rid of it." She replied, and then gave him a critical glance. "How about you?"

Naruto's face broke out into a large smile and he said, "Nope, I didn't have a hangover, but I do regret going to bed so late. But, you have to admit, last night was a lot of fun."

Grinning, she nodded and watched as he moved away to where Sasuke was standing. Soon, both young men were locking in a heated verbal battle and she was left, standing with Sai.

The young artist turned his dark eyes to her, and for a moment, he didn't speak, but when he did, he quietly asked, "How did you know about how I felt about Ino? I've never told you, and you've never asked, so how did you know?"

Sakura turned shocked eyes upwards and frantically thought for several moments, but was finally able to say, "It's clear by the way you act around her."

"Something is going on with you, butterfly." Sai murmured, earning himself a shocked stare from Sakura. "I can't explain it, but you are not the same as you were before we went on that mission where you passed out."

He moved past her, while her mind whirled with his words. 'Butterfly,' She thought. 'When in hell did he come up with that?'

But, however curious she was about his new name for her, she was worried about his statement that she wasn't the same as before their previous mission. Damn it, if she kept making little slips like that, she'd either be exposed, or deemed some kind of nut job.

Before she could move towards the boys, Kakashi finally decided to grace them with his presence and gave a nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his head when he saw the glares that were being directed his way.

The only one who wasn't glaring, was Sakura. Normally, she'd be leading the pack.

"Ok, out with it." Naruto demanded, his eyes narrowing. The copy ninja gave a sigh and then said, "Well, it's like this. I was on my way here this morning, and all of a sudden, I was frozen. It was as if one of the Naras had caught me in their shadow manipulation jutsus."

Sakura rolled her eyes and interrupted him. "Let me guess, you saw an advertisement for the newest edition of Icha Icha Paradise, and ended up drooling all over the window as you gawked at the cover. Then, you just had to wait for the store to open and just had to buy it so that you would have something to read while we do the grunt work." She said, her hands now on her hips.

"How did you guess?" Kakashi asked, his eyes wide. When Sakura pointed to his back pocket, where the new book was peeking out, he had enough grace to at least blush at being caught in such an obvious and pathetic excuse.

Naruto, Sai, and Sasuke groaned, and glared over at the man, but Sakura could not help the smile that crossed her lips. Even on his last day alive, he had made it to the meeting late, just because of those stupid books.

It just goes to show that the ability to be perverted never dies. Even after Jiraiya passed on, his books kept coming. It seemed that the man had written several novels, that had not been published, and when he died, the publisher decided to go ahead and publish them, thus preserving Jiraiya's memory, and keeping Kakashi in reading material.

No one knew that in her personal chambers, she had every single book that Kakashi owned. She just couldn't get rid of them, mainly because they were a part of what Kakashi was. There were times when she would walk into her secret hiding place, and pull out a book whose pages were dog-eared, and she could tell which ones were his favorites, just by how worn a book's binding looked.

"Ok, so let's get started." Kakashi said, his eyes running over the younger ninjas. He noticed that Sakura's eyes were locked onto something behind him, and he sighed. "Sakura, are you all right?"

Sakura quickly snapped her eyes over to where the taller man stood and she nodded and gave him a bright smile. When she received an eye crinkle, she stood up straighter, and awaited the instructions that she knew would keep them busy for quite a while.

* * *

Oh, gods. She didn't know that it was possible to hurt this badly. It was clear to her that she was missing some of her memories, because she could not recall a training this brutal. Apparently, Kakashi had been very excited to read that damn book, because after several grueling exercises, and then having to spar each other, they were too tired to complain about him reading.

She slumped to the ground and fought the urge to cry. She hurt in places that she didn't even know could hurt. Hell, even her teeth hurt, and she hadn't even been hit in the mouth. It was probably from her clenching her teeth as she tried to keep up with the boys.

Even with all of her experience, they had her beat in stamina. She had long ago let the need to compete and prove herself to them, go, but it still grated her nerves that they could so easily surpass her, but she comforted herself with the knowledge that should she let loose, she could probably beat them to bloody pulps.

Naruto walked over and crashed down beside her. He winced and reached up to rub his shoulder, which was bare due to the fact he had long ago taken off his shirt. "Man, what in the hell did we do to deserve this." He whined, his face taking on that pinched look that he wore when he was thinking.

As sore as she was, she maneuvered herself so that she were behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. Naruto tensed and looked over his shoulder, but relaxed when she gave him a small smile.

His eyes closed as she massaged away his aches and pains, and soon, he felt so relaxed that he didn't hesitate when she pulled him down so that his head rested in her lap.

Bright, blue eyes looked lazily into hers, and he gave her a soft smile. "What have I done to deserve this kind of treatment, hmmm?" He asked.

She returned his smile and shrugged. "You can return the favor, later." She murmured, her eyes tracing over his features, and burning them into her memory. If she were lucky, when she went home to her own time, she could make new memories.

She knew that she had already changed the course of Konoha's history, just by saving Shikamaru, Lee, and Neji. While Neji did not perish, when he was disfigured and put out of commission, Konoha took a very serious blow, even more so than when Orochimaru and his ninjas attacked.

"Believe it." He muttered, his eyes slowly closing. As he drifted off to sleep, he failed to see just how intently Sakura was watching him. Her fingers ran through his blonde hair, and she savored the silky texture of the strands.

To her, he was perfect in every way, and he was here with her, now.

Sai, Sasuke, and Kakashi watched the exchange between the pair. If there had been any doubts, they were gone, now. It was obvious that their female teammate returned the loud-mouthed blonde's feelings, and they could not understand when her feelings changed.

Sasuke scowled and turned away. He couldn't believe that Sakura could stoop so low as to go after 'dead-last', but then again, he supposed that when he rejected her, she had hit rock bottom. He was, after all, considered to be the most desired man in the village, and it was possible that Sakura had taken his rejection pretty hard. So hard that she felt that Naruto was the best she could do.

Sai watched with narrowed eyes as the young woman leaned back and closed her own eyes. He wondered how it would feel to be in Naruto's place, being cared for the way his teammate was. Was this what other people called love? Was the butterfly in love with the dickless wonder?

Kakashi turned his eyes back to the page he was reading, but frowned. He and Sakura needed to have a talk. She was not acting like herself and he wanted to know why. What made her turn from Sasuke, to Naruto, and why was she not exploding at her teammates like she normally does.

The old Sakura was predictable. This Sakura was full of surprises, and he hated to be surprised.


	4. Hiding The Pain As I Turned Back Pages

A/N: I've gained myself a new beta, and it is thanks to her that this chapter is not coma-happy. Enjoy the chapter and please review.

* * *

Her eyes stared up at the clear blue sky, and she bit her lip as her memories once more began to flood her mind. She knew that he was slowly beginning to lose his control over the seal. The attempt on the village had been only the first step of Sasuke's descent into madness. But thankfully, she had managed to prevent the deaths that would greatly weaken Konoha.

She could still hear her anguished pleas for Naruto to stop protecting him, to release Sasuke from the hellish nightmare that his life had become.

_"I can't, Sakura," Naruto snapped, his blue eyes hard. "Why can't you understand that I can't watch him die? He is a part of us, a part of team seven. How could you just let him go like that?"_

"I can let him go because he's been dead for years, Naruto," she cried, angry tears streaming down her face. "Why is it that you are willing to turn a blind eye towards his actions? He's killed several of our shinobi, yet here you stand, pleading for his life. What about the lives of the people in this village? What about my life, Naruto? Are you willing to sacrifice me in favor of allowing him to live?"

Naruto turned his back on her, and then allowed his shoulders to droop. "I would never allow him to hurt you," he whispered, his voice filled with anguish.

She walked swiftly to his side and forced him to look at her. "He has hurt me," she snapped. "He killed our friends, and my sensei. He has even tried to kill you on several occasions. Out of all of us, you are the only one who can beat him. Yet you refuse, and have given him more opportunities to destroy our home. Why won't you wake up and see him for what he really is?"

She knew that no matter what she said, Naruto would never be able to kill off the dark haired young man. Perhaps it was because, in a way, the two were similar. It wasn't until the final meeting with Sasuke that they finally discovered his true motives for attacking the village that they had grown up in.

"You've taken everything, Naruto," Sasuke said, his tone calm. "And now I'm going to take everything from you."

Naruto wiped the blood from his eye and silently cursed his stupidity. It was in that moment that he realized that his beloved wife's words were true.

Sasuke was truly dead. This man, this hateful creature, lived only for hate and revenge. And when he could not take revenge upon the older brother who had destroyed his family, he simply switched his focus to the one who had taken the village's attention away from him.

Naruto.

But in the end, he simply could not deliver the killing blow. So she had been the one to do it. And as his eyes reverted back to their dark color, he reached up to her, silently asking her to hold his hand. Instead, she drove her kunai into his neck, killing him and finally severing the tie that had once held them together.

She turned to Naruto, intent on healing his injuries, but found herself locked in his embrace. Then she heard him whisper, "Thank you for not making me be the one that killed him."

She loved her husband dearly. Even when faced with such a blatant betrayal, he still loved Sasuke. He would never have been able to live with himself had it been him that killed the one he considered a brother.

"Oh good," Naruto said, his voice breaking her out of her daydreams. "You're here."

She sat up and watched as Naruto, Sai, and Sasuke walked towards her, though her eyes were trained upon Sasuke. Perhaps he wasn't aware of his actions, but every now and then he would reach up and rub the seal, as if it were bothering him.

When they came to a stop before her, she turned her eyes towards Naruto and gave him a bright smile, before turning to Sai and accepting his offered hand. She stood up and calmly asked, "Is the seal bothering you, Sasuke?"

The dark haired young man turned his eyes toward her and shrugged. "No more than usual," he replied, his tone void of emotion. "So who wants to spar with me?"

As expected, Naruto jumped up and began to walk toward Sasuke, but stopped when Sakura said, "I'll fight you."

Sasuke's lip curled back in a sneer, and she ached to reach over and smack him for it. Instead, when he nodded, she followed him out onto the field. When she passed by Naruto, he said, "Hit him once for me, Sakura-chan!"

Oh, she was going to do more than just hit him.

When they finally faced each other, the memory of how Sasuke looked at the time of his death ran across her eyes for a moment. She quickly shook her head.

Sasuke smirked and said, "No chakra. Do you think that you can handle that, Sakura?"

She gave him a smile and nodded, then got into her fighting stance. That was something else that had changed from when she was a kid. Instead of crouching low, she had been taught by her advisors that simply widening her stance when she fought would prove to be more beneficial for her.

And as always, their words proved to be correct.

Now, looking at the puzzled expression on Sasuke's face, she could tell that he noticed the change, and she smirked.

He wouldn't know what hit him.

* * *

Kakashi looked at the scene ahead of him before turning a wide eye upon the little girl who caused it. He knew that she had not used her chakra-laced strength because he could not detect any lingering traces of her chakra. But he simply could not wrap his mind around the fact that Sakura had done all of this damage, and to Sasuke.

Naruto had an unconscious Uchiha over his shoulder and a wide smirk upon his lips. "I'm taking the teme to the hospital. I'll see you guys later," he said, and then ran from the field, laughing.

Sakura's giggles began to echo throughout the field, but quickly silenced when Kakashi turned toward her.

Sai quietly watched as the elder ninja studied the girl, and then nodded when Kakashi said, "You seem to have improved greatly, Sakura. To do this kind of damage without chakra… well, I've only seen one other person do this kind of damage."

Sakura bit her lip, doing her best to look innocent. However, her shoulders went stiff when Kakashi said, "Uchiha Itachi is the only other person who has been able to create such destruction. But now it appears that he is not the only one who can do it."

She gave him a weak smile before saying, "I wouldn't have gotten so carried away, but Sasuke keeps spouting off that I'll never be as good as him or Naruto. I guess I lost my temper."

Kakashi nodded, and then said, "Why don't you go home, Sakura? You look tired, and could probably use some quiet time to yourself."

Smiling brightly, she nodded and quickly disappeared in a flurry of petals, leaving the two men by themselves. But she didn't go far. Crouching down on a tree limb, she narrowed her eyes when Sai said, "To be honest, I've never seen anyone fight the way she does. It's almost as if it is second nature with her."

"I'm worried about Sakura," Kakashi murmured, his eye finally moving over to Sai. "She's changed. And even though it is a great improvement, I can't help but feel as if something is missing."

Sai nodded, and then watched as the copy ninja disappeared in a poof of smoke. It was several minutes before he said, "You know, Butterfly, I've been told that it is rude to eavesdrop."

Landing before him, Sakura cocked her head. "How did you know I was there?" she asked, curiously. No one had ever before detected her, so it came as a complete shock to her that Sai picked up on her.

"I didn't," he replied, sitting down. He pulled out a sketch pad and watched as she dropped to the ground in front of him. "I took a guess, and I happened to be right."

Sakura wrinkled her nose at him, watching as his eyes would leave the pad every so often and look at her. She watched as the pencil continued to do its work. After nearly an hour, he stopped and closed the pad.

"I'm leaving," he announced. "Butterfly, you can tell us if something is wrong."

She gave him a weary smile. "I know." _'How do I tell you that, since I had to watch you and those that I love die, I'm going to be selfish and make the most of the time I have with you now? How do I tell you that I still have all of your sketch pads and paintings hidden deep within the hokage palace, and stare at them just to remember your face? How do I tell you that I have never stopped loving any of you?'_

* * *

Hanabi watched from the shadows as Sakura walked off of the field with the artist, and she scowled. She just had to go and prove herself stronger than the Uchiha. Well, that just gave her an excellent chance to gain an ally.

Moving swiftly, she reached the Uchiha compound and waited. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait for too long.

Sasuke walked towards her, and when he finally saw her, he lifted his eyebrow. "Are you lost?" he demanded, temper still high after experiencing such a humiliating defeat. "This isn't the Hyuuga compound."

"I'm well aware of that," Hanabi said, standing. "I'm sorry that she did this to you."

"Who?" Sasuke snapped, his hand quickly reaching behind him to cover the seal. The damn thing was acting up again, and it was driving him crazy.

Hanabi smiled, and she watched as the Uchiha's gaze became wary. "Haruno Sakura," she replied. "It must be hard for you to lose to someone who is known for being so weak and helpless. Perhaps she is trying to reverse roles with you, and this little display was her first step."

Sasuke's mouth opened to defend Sakura, but then quickly snapped shut. The burning pain was making it hard for him to concentrate. He knew that if he didn't get inside and lay down, he'd get a massive headache.

Suddenly, a smaller hand covered his. Waves of cool chakra ran over the seal, dousing the fire-hot heat that caused him so much pain. He opened his eyes and stared down at the girl, finding her currently standing beside him, though she had to pull her chair over to where he was to reach his neck.

He watched as she smiled and nodded. "There," she murmured, happily. "That should take care of the seal, at least for a while."

"Thanks," he muttered, and then narrowed his eyes. "How did you know that it was the seal?"

She giggled and shook her head. "Well, you know that Hinata and Sakura are friends, right?" she asked, her tone soft. When he nodded, she said, "I overheard Sakura and Hinata talking one evening, and Sakura said that she didn't trust you because you still had the seal. She also said that Naruto and Sai felt the same way, but were willing to be around you so that they could watch you. If you ask me, that a pretty ugly thing to say about someone you call a teammate."

Hanabi watched as Sasuke's face grew hard, and his lips drew into a narrow line. His hands were now closed into fists, and she bit back the smile that was threatening to break out on her lips.

So, Sakura didn't trust him. Now it all made sense. Her cold stares and clipped manner of speaking could now be explained, and all he could think of her little display in the training field was that it had been nothing more than her showing him what she believed his place to be.

"Leave," he ordered, not caring if he sounded rude. He felt the smaller girl move away from his side, and soon he was alone.

He and Sakura needed to have a long talk.

* * *

Sakura watched as the clouds drifted across the moon and smiled. Ever since the wars, clear nights like this one were a rarity. She took in a deep breath, then turned and walked back into her apartment, only to find Kakashi sitting on her couch, quietly watching her.

For several minutes, neither spoke. Finally, Kakashi said, "I think that you and I are long overdue for a talk, Sakura. Too many things are off about you, and I am becoming concerned about it."

"I'm fine, Kakashi-sensei," she said, her green eyes searching his visible eye. "There is really nothing to be concerned about."

"Your fighting style is almost identical to that of Uchiha Itachi, and you have a couple of moves that I've seen Hoshigaki Kisame perform," Kakashi replied, standing. "I know that I've never taught you any of the moves that you displayed today. I also know that Lady Tsunade has never performed moves like that. So I'm wondering where you picked them up."

Frowning, Sakura moved towards the couch and snapped, "What exactly are you trying to say? If you are going to accuse me of something, come out and say it."

Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest and quietly said, "All right. I think that at some point you came into contact with both Itachi and Kisame, and learned some of their moves from them. What I don't know is if they taught you, or if you simply copied them somehow."

She allowed a smirk to form on her lips and then shook her head. "You honestly think that I could get Kisame and Itachi to hold still long enough to teach me new ways to fight?" she asked, her tone incredulous. "That has got to be one of the stupidest things I have ever heard come out of your mouth. Those two would not give me the time of day; nor would they give away their fighting secrets only to have them used against them later."

Mentally, she patted herself on the back for that argument. It was true. At this time, Kisame and Itachi were dealing with their own problems within the Akatsuki and didn't have time to deal with her. But Kakashi didn't need to know what was going on. All that mattered was that the Akatsuki was so damn busy with its own problems, it didn't have time to hunt the demon containers.

Kakashi shook his head and then sighed. "Sakura, ever since that night that you passed out in the woods, your actions have been strange," he murmured. "At first, I was willing to overlook some of the things that you were doing. But after today's fight with Sasuke, I can't overlook it anymore. I am going to go to Lady Tsunade and tell her what I have seen."

Sakura regarded the man quietly, and then asked, "Can't you trust me?"

"I trust you, Sakura," Kakashi said, his tone soft. "But I am worried about you, and you have not given me any explanations for your recent behavior. I'm sorry."

She watched as he formed the hand signs and was gone before she could reply. Sinking down into her couch, she silently cursed herself for not remembering just how weak and powerless she had been in this time. Damn it, she was not hokage here. She could not walk around, spouting her knowledge and talents.

But Kakashi was very close on one thing. It was true that her fighting style was very similar to Itachi and Kisame. It was only natural that she would pick up what her advisors taught her.

* * *

"You are not making much sense, Kakashi," Tsunade said, lifting the glass to her mouth. "I can assure you that Sakura has not had any kind of contact with Uchiha Itachi or Hoshigaki Kisame."

Kakashi sighed and slumped in his seat. "I know that it sounds odd," he said. "But you've seen and heard her. Don't you think that she sounds… off?"

Tsunade lowered her eyes and sighed. Actually, she had to admit that she was concerned about Sakura's behavior. When the blonde brat brought the last Uchiha into the hospital, she had been stunned to hear that it had been Sakura who had caused all of the damage. Everyone knew just how fragile the Uchiha's ego was, and it seemed as if Sakura had been sending him some kind of message.

Shizune frowned as she watched her lady and Kakashi. Even she had noticed a change in Sakura, though she thought it was for the better. Sakura was no longer quick to anger, and she seemed much calmer. Apparently the two before her liked the scary Sakura better.

"I will speak to her," Tsunade finally said, lifting her head to look at Kakashi. "However, I don't want you to speak about this issue to her. Instead I want you to keep watch over her."

Nodding, the copy nin stood up and walked to the door. He turned and gave a soft laugh. "I never thought that I'd live to see the day where it was Sakura who caused Sasuke to wind up face down, ass up in the dirt."

Tsunade lifted her glass in a mock toast and muttered, "Times, they are a-changing."

* * *

The next day found team seven quiet. Sakura glanced over at Sasuke and found that he was scowling at the ground. She narrowed her eyes when she noticed little specks of red begin to appear in his eyes.

When he glanced up and found that she was looking at him, his own eyes narrowed in a silent challenge. She simply lifted her eyebrows. But he looked away after a moment, and she slowly let out a soft breath.

It would seem that Sasuke now knew that it was not wise to underestimate her.

She would have smirked at the thought, but a loud 'poof' sound signaled Kakashi's appearance. She smiled up as the copy nin came into sight.

"So sorry I am late," he said, and gave the small group his eye crinkle. "I simply could not resist helping a young lady across the street."

Naruto snorted and then snapped, "If you are going to use that excuse, at least make it believable and tell us that it was a little old lady."

Kakashi moved forward, ignoring Naruto, and stopped when he was in the middle of their group. "Alright," he said, looking around. "Lady Tsunade has given us a mission, and we are to leave immediately. Lucky for us, it is in the next town over, so we don't need to pack anything. We will be back before nightfall."

Sakura lifted her eyebrow and then stood up. She followed the copy nin and the others to the main gates, nearly stumbling when Sasuke glided up next to her and whispered, "You and I are going to have a talk, Sakura."

Sakura's eyes slid over to him and she calmly said, "Well, get it over with. I have better things to do than to listen to you whine."

Sasuke watched the three men before them and asked, "You don't trust me, do you?"

"Have you given me any reason to trust you, Sasuke?" she countered. It was clear in her tone that she was becoming annoyed, but Sasuke ignored it.

"At least I have not been speaking about you to others," he replied, his dark eyes turning to look into hers. "It seems that you have been a very busy young lady."

Sakura stopped in her tracks and watched as Sasuke stopped as well. "No, I don't trust you, and I have no reason to talk about you. I don't know where you got your information, but it is wrong. I don't trust you, Sasuke, because I don't know you anymore. I probably never knew you. Any trust I had for you died the night you left me on a stone bench."

She resumed walking, but stopped when he grasped her upper arm in his hand. He moved closer to her as he said, "I had no choice, Sakura. I had to leave you in order to become stronger. If I am ever going to kill Itachi, I need to be stronger than him."

She watched him for several moments before quietly asking him, "What will you do if you find that he is stronger than you, even after all of your sacrifices? Are you so naive to think that he isn't training as well?"

For a minute, Sasuke's eyes widened. Then his eyes narrowed as he hissed, "It doesn't matter how strong he is. I am going to be his death." He let go of her arm and stalked forward, leaving Sakura to her thoughts.

"And I am going to be yours," she whispered, and then quietly followed behind the men.

* * *

"Shit!" Kisame growled, his eyes narrowing. "How many of these bastards are there?"

Itachi did not reply. Instead, he allowed his kunai to bury itself into the neck of his opponent before turning to his partner.

"Let us leave before the others find us," he said, quickly moving toward the forest. Once they were up in the trees, he murmured, "They must know that the leader is dead, and now they are looking to take out the remaining members."

Kisame allowed a grin to light up his blue features. "Let them come," he sneered. "We'll be ready."

"Do not be so overconfident," Itachi advised calmly. "We cannot afford to make any mistakes."

"Yeah, yeah," Kisame grumbled, allowing himself to speed up. "So what do you suggest we do?"

"We find ourselves an ally," Itachi replied, staring straight ahead. "Then we will go after the one who started all of this."

Kisame grunted and then smirked. Itachi's little brother wouldn't know what hit him.

* * *

The village was quiet. For a moment, the members of team seven stared at each other. Finally, Kakashi said, "Let's look around and see if we can find someone who can tell us why we are here."

Nodding, Sakura walked off towards the center of town, and then froze when she came upon several bodies lying face down in the dirt. Experience told her that they were already dead, and she narrowed her eyes.

Moving forward, she gently nudged one of the bodies over and frowned. The woman's neck had been sliced open, her eyes staring lifelessly towards the sky. Whoever had done this had wanted these people to suffer.

"Sakura!" Naruto bellowed, sliding to a stop beside her. The other members came running and froze beside the blonde, who was quiet for once.

She closed her eyes. When she opened them, she said, "I cannot help them. This happened before we were summoned. Whoever did this was sending a message and wanted us to see it."

"What in the hell are they trying to say?" Naruto asked, his hand reaching up to scratch behind his head. "Why go after these people? They are not shinobi."

Kakashi was about to reply, but Sakura beat him to it. "I think it is a warning," she murmured. "Someone wants us to know that they are very close and simply biding their time until they strike again."

Sai moved to stand beside Sakura and asked, "Shall I return and report to the hokage?"

"Yes," Sakura said, her eyes blank. It was starting. This poor village had been another victim in the Great War, and she had forgotten. All of these innocent people could have been saved had she not concentrated only on Naruto and Konoha. "Tell the hokage that a war is brewing, and the first stone has been thrown."

"Okay, let's hold on," Kakashi said, stepping forward. He frowned down at Sakura and calmly said, "We don't know if it is war. Let's tell the hokage that there has been an incident, and she will take it from there."

Whirling around, Sakura snapped, "You are wrong. This is just the beginning of war. Remember Sensei? Look underneath the underneath. Well, what is underneath is a pit of nothing more than blood and death."

Kakashi merely looked at Sakura and then turned to Sai. "Go," he ordered, then turned his attention to Naruto and Sasuke, who had silently watched the interaction. "Go through the village and look for any survivors."

When they were finally alone, he turned to Sakura. "I understand that you are upset, but you will never defy my authority again," he warned. "I will not tolerate these outbursts again. Do you understand, Sakura?"

Sakura refused to meet his eye. After a moment, she sighed. "And if I do? What makes you think that you are correct in this matter?" she asked tiredly. "How will you handle the guilt if I turn out to be correct, hmmm?"

"If you defy me again," he said, "I will go to the hokage and report you. I will also remove you from this team. As for handling the guilt, I don't believe that I have anything to worry about."

"Then you are a fool," she replied.

"Go back to Konoha, Sakura," Kakashi ordered. "Go back and wait for me at the hokage's office. We will finish this conversation there."

Turning on her heel, Sakura walked a few feet away, but then turned back and regarded him. "You once told me that the hardest choices that we make are the ones that anger others. You said that it takes a stronger person to fight for what they know to be right and to turn from what would be the easiest. I'm right in this issue, Kakashi," she said, and then turned and began the walk back to Konoha.

When she was gone, he looked at the ground and murmured, "Obito used to say that. But I don't recall saying that to Sakura."

* * *

Tsunade listened to both sides and then sighed. Okay, now this had gone on for far too long. Nodding at Kakashi and taking his report from his hands, she watched as he left the room. Then she turned her eyes to Sakura.

"I should write you up for being subordinate," she snapped, and stood up to tower over her apprentice. "What in the hell are you thinking? Kakashi is team leader, and you have no right to go and make statements without a thorough investigation. Sakura, are you trying to drive me crazy?"

"No," Sakura replied softly. "I'm simply trying to get everyone to see that this was not an ordinary attack. It was too organized. Whoever did it was sending a message to us, and we should be listening very carefully."

Shizune frowned. "Kakashi did say that the bodies were carefully laid out in the village center," she said thoughtfully. "And they did not leave anyone alive. Even the children were murdered. It's like they didn't want any survivors."

Sakura frowned, closing her eyes as Itachi's voice came forth.

_"Sasuke was always a greedy child," he said, his elegant tone soothing her frayed nerves. "However, the reason why he never left any survivors was because he didn't want them to go through the hell that he went through. I suppose he believed that he was being kind."_

"But you left him alive," she said, her tone sharp. "Has it ever occurred to you that he might not have turned out the way he did if you had not slaughtered your clan?"

He cocked his head to the side and smirked. "What if I told you that I was under orders to kill my clan?" he asked, curious. "As hokage, you should know better than any of us that there are certain secrets that our government doesn't want revealed. After all, why do you think that hunter-nins were never sent after me?"

"Sakura? Are you listening to me?" Tsunade asked, her tone sharp. When green eyes met golden, she watched as Sakura nodded.

"I am listening," Sakura said, and then turned her eyes to the window.

Tsunade walked around her desk and sat on the ledge in front of Sakura. "I want you to take a few days off," she said, and then looked over at Shizune. "I'm going to send you to one of the neighboring villages so that you can experience their hot springs. You will leave in the morning, and I don't want to see your face for a week. Understood?"

Sakura bit her lip and nodded.

Shizune smiled brightly and promised to make all of the arrangements. Once she was gone, Tsunade dismissed Sakura. As she walked to the door, Sakura looked over her shoulder.

"I'm not wrong." she said. "But since you are basically forcing me to leave, will you please keep an eye on Sasuke and Hyuuga Hanabi?"

Lifting her eyebrow, Tsunade said, "I can understand the Uchiha, but what have you got against the younger Hyuuga girl?"

"She isn't what she appears to be," Sakura answered. "Think of her like a coiled snake that is waiting to strike. She is not like her sister. Hanabi is a threat."

When Sakura exited the office, Tsunade rolled her eyes. Yeah, Sakura was in great need for a vacation.


	5. I Know That You're Hiding Things

A/N: I know that you guys are staring at the screen and screaming, "Finally, she updated." Well, let me tell you, this little fic as well as a couple of others had me into writer's block hell. Anyways, please read and reveiw. Also, please check out my profile for the link to a Naru/Saku video that Black Flicka/Dobrila1995 created for A soul's salvation. I think that it is really good. Thanks

* * *

As she walked, Sakura thought about many things. While she had been made aware of many treacheries that Konoha had committed in secret, the worst had to be the slaughter of the Uchiha clan. Itachi had explained his role in the massacre and despite having followed through with it, he once stated that he often wondered what his life would have been had he fought for his clan instead of against it.

She knew that one of the main culprits had been Danzo. The man's ego was simply too much to bear and when he had finally been called out on his actions, he attempted to justify his orders and tried to have her removed from the seat of hokage.

Of course, the damiyo's council had seen enough of Danzo's behavior to have formed their own opinions about the man and in the end, he had been forced out of power and removed from Root. Of course, many of Root's members attempted to rebel, but with the help of those loyal to both her and Naruto, along with Sai at her side, Root was quickly brought down and put out of commission.

When Itachi and Kisame became part of her life, she had resigned herself to an early grave, watching as the days passed by and praying that she could be reunited with her beloved Naruto. But, the two men simply refused to allow her to fade away. Itachi, despite her best efforts, had refused to take her place as hokage, even though his battle strategies were nearly legendary, and he stood firm in his belief that his salvation could be found beside her, not only as her adviser, but as her friend and protector.

Kisame had taken a while to get used to. The man was foul-mouthed, loved to piss her off, and was basically a giant pain in her ass. However, like Itachi, Kisame took great pains to ensure her well-being, and neither man left her side when the anniversary of Naruto's death came around. More often than not, it was Kisame who would hold her as she cried for Naruto.

She knew that a good shinobi never showed emotion, but damn it, a shinobi who had no emotion was better off dead. A shinobi who could not care for his comrades would never be able to watch their backs as effectively as a shinobi who had a personal interest in his teammates.

Pausing in her steps, Sakura frowned. The forest around her suddenly went quiet and she was not a stranger to being ambushed. In fact, after Naruto died, she made sure to learn how to get out of the most dangerous situations that could occur. With his samehada, Kisame took great delight in listening to her curse and scream that he was a 'giant asshole' when he would ambush her when she least expected it.

Itachi called it 'training'. She called it 'them having fun at her expense'.

So, when the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end, she quickly readied herself for whatever might happen. When two figures leapt out of the trees and came to land before her, she could not help lifting her eyebrow.

Standing before her, as if they had been summoned from her thoughts, were Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, and neither man looked happy to see her.

"Kunoichi, stand aside and let us pass." Itachi ordered, his tone covered with steel. He and his partner had traveled for several days, only to find that all of their contacts had been eliminated. It would seem that his brother had done his homework well.

Sakura took in a deep breath. It was clear to her that they were being chased, but before she could open her mouth to reply, three hunter nins appeared.

The leader stepped forward and pointed at her. "Stand away." He sneered. "We have some unfinished business with these two freaks."

Sakura smirked. "Do you know who these two 'freaks' are?" She asked, her tone soft. "If I were you, I'd back the fuck off."

The three hunters stared over at her, while Kisame scowled in her direction. "Will you butt out?" He snapped. "Let the men handle this."

"Oh, you've handled it real well, haven't you, Kisame?" She drawled. "I'm sure that you are simply taking your time and savoring this, but don't you think that you've played around long enough?"

Itachi held out his hand to prevent his partner from approaching the girl. "This is not your concern." He said, his tone hard. "Return to your village and do not speak of what you saw here."

Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw the leader of the hunters motion to another hunter, and she steeled herself for the coming attack. When it came, she didn't even think. The stance she used was the same stance that Kisame used when he fought hand-to-hand. She and the hunter nin traded blows for several minutes, but when he reached behind him to grab a kunai out of his pouch, Sakura decided that the fight was over and quickly delivered a punch to the face of the nin that went through the mask and landed on the forehead of the man. A loud crunch was heard as the nin's skull gave way to her inhuman strength. When the man crumbled to the ground at her feet, she turned and gave the other two hunters a grim smile.

"Well now, have I proven that I can play with the 'big boys'?" She asked sweetly.

The two hunters didn't even have time to scream. While they had been distracted by Sakura killing their teammate, Kisame had managed to slip behind them and allowed samehada to severe their heads from their bodies.

She watched as the bodies twitched for several seconds before stilling and then turned her eyes up to the two men. Both looked as though they had injuries and both looked as though they had not seen a meal in several days.

Sighing, she motioned for them to follow her and when she looked back over her shoulder, she realized that they were not following her. Instead, Kisame was glaring at her with very angry eyes while Itachi remained as stoic as ever. Kisame lifted his massive sword and pointed it at her.

"I'm going to kill you." He growled. But, when Sakura failed to react to his threat, he snapped, "Are you fucking hard of hearing? I said that I am going to kill you."

"Oh, I heard you." She replied. "But, judging from the look of you and your partner, I doubt that you'd last against a genin team, much less someone who can uproot trees and toss them around as though they weigh nothing. Now, get your asses over here before I drag you over."

Again, neither man moved. Instead, Kisame decided to engage her in a staring contest, mainly to see who's will was the strongest. After several strained seconds, Sakura sighed and promptly gave up the fight.

"Look, I have food with me and the two of you are hurt. Let me at least see if I can repair some of your injuries so that you won't have to worry about them the next time you come across hunters." She reasoned.

She knew that Itachi would see the logic in her statement; however, it was Kisame who made the first move towards her. She moved over to her pack and pulled out some of the food that she had packed for her journey to the hot springs that Tsunade had forced to her go to.

When the food was plucked from her hands, she fought the urge to grin. Trust Kisame to be the one to be swayed by the promise of a full belly.

Itachi, on the other hand, was a different story. He was not as easily persuaded like his partner. At least, not with food. So, she decided on another tactic.

"I know about your eyes, Itachi." She said and noticed that Kisame froze in his pursuit to lessen her food supply. "I know that you are almost completely blind and are allowing Kisame to lead the way, mainly because of the trust that the two of you have. But, what if I told you that your blindness can be reversed?"

She watched as Itachi quietly considered her words. Finally, when he had made his judgment of her suggestion, he calmly asked, "How is it that you are aware of my condition?"

Sakura took in a deep breath. She had to remember that this Itachi was not the same man who had become her friend. "I know of your condition because of Hatake Kakashi. I've studied his sharingan and know the side effects to its use. Much like you, he nearly lost his sight; however, I was able to figure out a way to reduce the effects and finally ending them. It does take several treatments to keep the eyesight from fading, but I suppose one would have to ask themselves which was more important: Their eyesight or their time?"

Of course, all of this was true. Before he died, Kakashi had lost his eyesight and it was through trial and error that she had managed to figure out that the pathways used to power the sharingan had become congested. Once she cleared them out, she had been able to heal the eye that housed the sharingan back to full health. Sadly, a month later she had been sworn into office and Kakashi had died.

Itachi took in a deep breath. "Make no mistake. I am not without ways to defend myself and if I think for even a minute that you are attempting to harm me in any way, I will kill you." He promised.

Sakura gave a humorless laugh. "Fine." She snapped, her patience all but gone. "Get your butt over here." She ordered and then with a hint of sarcasm, she added, "If you can find your way without your seeing-eye shark, that is."

Kisame snorted, but quickly shut up at the look that passed over his partner's face. When Itachi finally moved over to where Sakura was standing, he passed by her and went to where his partner was sitting. Moving into a sitting position, he accepted the food that Kisame handed to him and proceeded to eat while Sakura went to her pack and removed her medical supplies.

When she gathered everything that she would need, she turned to the two men and noticed that they had removed their cloaks. Her eyes took in the damage and she sighed. It was worse than she had first thought.

Moving over to where they were sitting, Kisame was watching her with wary eyes. "Heal Itachi first." He ordered. Knowing how protective he was of her when she was hurt or sick, she knew that he was simply watching out for the only person that he could safely call his friend. So, she didn't take offense to his gruff order. Instead, she moved to Itachi's side and allowed herself to examine him.

When she finally decided on which wounds needed her attention, she looked at Itachi. "I am only going to heal your wounds. Healing your eyes would take too much out of me. If you want your eyes to be healed, you will follow me to the town of Fugari and I will allow the two of you to take up residence in my suite while I work on your eyes." She stated. "Of course, this would mean that the two of you would have to agree to a temporary truce with me, which means that you can't try to kill me."

Neither man spoke and she rolled her eyes. "Look at it this way, it is a chance for you to rest and recover in a comfortable and private setting." She said, wearily.

Finally, Itachi inclined his head and calmly stated, "Are you sure that this isn't some sort of set up to get me and my brother face-to-face? After all, he has stated that he is going to be my death."

Sakura was quiet for a moment while she worked on a large gash on his right shoulder. "Your brother has a lot of issues; however, I am certain that you will not be the Uchiha that dies." She murmured.

Kisame snorted. "Oh, really." He jeered. "And how can you be sure of that?"

Sakura allowed a smile to form on her lips. "Let's just say that I have it on good authority that your brother will die by the hand of the one he calls teammate."

"So, you believe that the kyuubi container will kill Itachi's punk brother?" Kisame demanded and then threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh.

"I never said that it was Naruto that would kill Sasuke." Sakura muttered, her tone now clipped.

Itachi stiffened. "You believe that you will be the one to take Sasuke's life?" He asked.

Sakura paused in her ministrations. "I believe that your brother is nearly dead, anyway." She replied and then stepped back to survey her work on Itachi's shoulder. "The time he spent in Orochimaru's service has cut short his life by several years. I'm not even certain that Sasuke is aware, but I know that the experiments that Kabuto performed upon him damaged him in ways that are too many to count. In the end, I have a good feeling that Sasuke will be nothing more than a rabid dog whom needs to be put out of his misery."

Itachi inclined his head towards her. "And, do you believe that you could kill my brother?" He questioned, his tone soft. "After all, from what I have been told, you were known to have feelings for Sasuke."

She wrapped the bandage around his torso and sighed. Rocking back on her heels to get into a better position to continue her wrapping, she quietly said, "Time has a way of making us see that the ones whom we claim to love are not the ones our hearts desire. I am well aware of how I am perceived and that my former affections have over-shadowed all of the progress that I have achieved. However, do not think that I won't kill him if he attempts to harm Konoha or Naruto."

"What if we are the ones who want to harm your precious kyuubi?" Kisame jeered. His mouth twisted into a sneer and he crossed his arms over his massive chest. "What will you do then?"

Sakura knew that he was baiting her. He was using 'the tone' with her and she knew that he was itching for a fight. However, the best weapon against Kisame in this situation was to throw him off balance. "Well, I doubt that you'd know what to do with him once you got Naruto. After all, now that the Akatsuki is all but destroyed, going after the kyuubi isn't a priority for the two of you." She stated and then shot Kisame a feral grin. "No, I think that the two of you have your hands full with being hunted and I know full well that it was Sasuke who sent them after you. What the two of you don't know is why. Of course, it could be Sasuke trying to make good on his threats to kill Itachi, but the fact that the hunters have orders to kill you, Kisame, is a puzzle."

"I suppose that you know his reasons why, kunoichi?" Itachi inquired as he allowed her words to filter through his mind. "Tell me, are you a part of what he is planning?"

Kisame narrowed his eyes over at the girl who was tending to his partner and allowed his hands to unclench. The girl's body language softened and her gaze was now directed past them and into the distance. Finally, she sighed and shook her head.

"I think that interrogation time is over." She announced and stood up. Walking over to Kisame, she knelt down and allowed a smile to cross her lips and she took in his injuries. "Your wounds are healing on their own." She murmured and allowed her hand to run across his back. She felt Kisame stiffen and then allowed her hand to fall to her side.

She took in a deep breath and calmly stated, "I am going to the hot springs. Follow or don't, it is your decision." The two men watched as she calmly packed up her belongings and watched as she began to walk away from them, her posture relaxed as if she had not just spent the better part of an hour healing two of the most notorious members of the largest criminal organization in Japan.

When she was gone, Kisame glanced over at Itachi and gruffly asked, "What do you think?"

Itachi pulled his cloak back onto his shoulders and inclined his head towards his partner. "I do not sense any deception on her part. It would be wise for us to regain our strength in a more comfortable setting as well as decide on our next course of action. I am curious as to see if she can actually heal my eyes as she promised."

Kisame nodded. "So, once she is done, are we going to kill her?"

Itachi allowed a smirk to cross his lips. "I mentioned before about needing an ally." He said, his sharingan eyes spinning lazily. "Perhaps she is what we need in order to bring Sasuke into account for his actions."

Kisame allowed a grin to cross his lips and quickly gathered his sword and their packs. Soon, they were following Sakura's footsteps and made their way to the little hotsprings resort.

* * *

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. This could not be happening. Not now. "So, what you are saying is that there is a good possibility that Sakura was right and there really could be a war brewing against Konoha?"

Shikamaru sighed. This was going to be troublesome, he could just feel it. "The fact that the bodies were carefully laid out and that no one was killed slowly tells me that whoever did this didn't want his or her victims to suffer." He stated, his tone bored. He glanced around to see the males of team seven standing off to the side while the rest of the original rookie nine stood before their hokage. "I would say that Sakura hit the nail on the head when she said that this was just the first step in an upcoming war."

Tsunade let out a harsh breath and sat down in her chair. "Kakashi, do you have any thoughts?" She asked, her tone weary.

Kakashi shook his head. Ever since returning from that village and reporting Sakura to their hokage, he had done nothing but keep a low profile. He knew that something was different about his only female student, but the fact that she openly defied him and contradicted his authority had made him angry enough to not consider her words. Now, he was regretting his harsh reaction.

"I think that perhaps Sakura may have been onto something." He finally said, but kept his eye trained upon his book. "However, I still do not think that we should be making any hasty judgments."

Naruto shook his head. "I don't care what you say. If Sakura thinks that this is something to do with our village being attacked, then I believe her." He replied stubbornly. "It isn't like she was trying to disrespect you or your authority, but I can't help but think that she is probably right."

Tsunade held up her hand. When the room fell silent, she quietly murmured, "We will keep a close eye on the situation. Until Sakura comes back and is more rested, then we will speak to her about this and figure out what to do then. I don't want anyone to leave the village unless it is for a mission. Is that clear?"

When she received a nod from everyone in the room, she dismissed her shinobi and turned to look out the window. For now, she would keep a close eye on the situation. With Sakura taking a forced vacation, there was little chance that she would get herself into any kind of trouble at a hot spring.

* * *

Looking around the room, Sakura took in a deep breath and made her way into the largest of the bedrooms. Setting her pack down on the bed, she slipped off her sandals and began to unpack her bag. Once her clothing was put up, she carried her shower kit into the bathroom and placed the bag underneath the sink. When she walked back into the bedroom, she heard Kisame's gruff voice proclaim, "Well, isn't this a cozy little getaway?"

Walking out from her room, Sakura stopped when she saw Itachi and Kisame sitting on the couch. Kisame had his feet propped up on the coffee table while Itachi sat primly next to him. Lifting her eyebrow, she made her way to the seat across from them and sat down.

For several minutes, the room was quiet. Finally, Itachi asked, "When will you be able to start work on my eyes?"

Sakura thought for a moment, but then said, "I would like to examine them this evening and figure out which course of action I want to take. Because you and Kakashi are not related, I wonder if perhaps your sharingan has other problems that I have not encountered. By studying the sharingan this evening, I will be able to tell just how badly the damage is and to what extent I can cure it. Kakashi regained full use of his, but then again, his sharingan was implanted."

Itachi nodded. "I would like to rest before you begin your examination. Perhaps we can start after dinner?" He said. Turning, made his way to the second room and closed the door behind him, leaving Sakura alone with Kisame.

Turning to the shark, Sakura softly said, "While he is nearly blind, he still moves as though he has his full vision."

Kisame gritted his teeth, but then said, "In the Akatsuki, if you are seen as weak, you are seen as a liability. If you are a liability, then you die. Itachi, even on his worst days, is a better shinobi than most on their best days."

She nodded. "The two of you are close." She observed and bit back a grin when his eyes narrowed upon her.

"We're not involved if that is what you are alluding to." He gritted out, his entire posture telling her that he was becoming extremely agitated.

"I never implied that you were." She replied. "I was simply stating that the two of you certainly have a closeness that I don't see in too many partnerships. I actually find it rather refreshing, especially since most teams break apart at some point."

"Yeah, well when you are with someone every day, watching his back and allowing him to watch yours, and fighting together to stay alive, that tends to bring people together." Kisame said, his posture relaxing slightly.

Sakura gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yes, it does." She agreed. Standing up, she stretched and murmured that like Itachi, she was going to go and rest before dinner. When she left the room and her door closed quietly, Kisame turned his head to see Itachi standing at their door.

"That girl is weird." Kisame muttered.

"Indeed, but she has a manner about her that makes her seem older than she really is." Itachi replied. He moved over to where his partner sat and quietly said, "It would be wise to attempt to get along with her, at least for now. We will observe her behavior and re-evaluate our plan at a later time, especially if she proves that she is trust-worthy."

Kisame nodded and waved his hand in the air. "Yeah, yeah." He muttered. "I'll play nicely, for now."

"It is all I ask." Itachi replied with a smirk and stood up. He walked back into the bedroom and left Kisame to his thoughts.


	6. You'll fight your battles far from me

A/N: I know that you are staring at your computer screaming, "It's about freaking time!" I've had such problems with this chapter and hope that I've finally gotten over them. Anyways, here is the chapter and please read and review. Thanks!

* * *

"_Sakura, I know that I'm not Sasuke, but I love you and I won't leave you." Naruto said, his blue eyes serious as he took her hand in his. She waited, her breath catching in her throat as he took in a deep breath and said, "I've loved you for as long as I can remember and even though I know that I am not what you dreamed of in a man, I would spend the rest of my life trying my hardest to make you happy. Please, Sakura, please give me a chance."_

It amazed her that when he wanted to be, Naruto was a force to be reckoned with when it came to words. It was from that moment that she decided to take a leap of faith and placed her heart in his hands. She supposed that she had grown to love him, but for him to make such a plea to her and to put his entire heart in her hands, it was only fair that she give him her heart in return.

As she rested in her room, Sakura's eyes closed and her body relaxed, the memories that came to her made it easier to remember her mission and those whom she had to save. However, when the happy dreams ended, the nightmares never failed to make an appearance.

"_I've got to go with them, Sakura." Naruto snapped, his own temper matching hers. Despite the fact that he was normally very easy going, when he got mad, everyone knew it. "I will not sit back and watch any more of our people die. I will not hide behind these walls as kids who are only genin try to protect our village. I have a duty to this village and nothing, not even you, will stop me. Not this time."_

"_And if you die, what happens then, hm?" She demanded as she followed him through the village. "Naruto, this isn't some kind of game that we can afford to lose. Hanabi is too strong right now. She has too many people who have listened to her bullshit and who want to make their name by helping overthrow Konoha. Please, don't do this. Don't go." _

_He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. For the first time since they married, his eyes were hard and unyielding. "No, this isn't a game." He said. "This is real life, Sakura. We die when it is our time. I will not watch the village I love be ripped apart by that spiteful bitch. I know that Hanabi has a lot of hatred towards us and Konoha, but I will not permit her to do as I permitted Sasuke. This time, I will be the one to end the life of the threat. I will not hide behind my wife's legs just because I can't bear to let go of the past. Hinata died because she trusted that snake. Everything that Hyuuga clan built was ripped down because of her. Now, she will die because of me. Believe it!"_

_He turned on his heel and motioned for his team to follow him. He paused in his steps when he heard her whisper, "Please, don't go."_

"_I love you. I've loved you for as long as I can remember. I'll always come back to you, Sakura." Naruto said and motioned for the guards to close the gates once his team was outside the walls of Konoha._

"_Don't go!" She cried and rushed to the gates. "Please, don't leave!"_

"Don't go!" She screamed and sat up quickly, her body shaking and the bile rushing to the back of her throat. In the quiet room, she could hear her labored breathing as the dream remained fresh in her mind. Sadly, Naruto didn't keep his promise. He didn't return and she had become a widow only days before she took on the title of hokage that should have been his.

As her frantic heart beat began to slow, she realized that she was not alone in her room. Glancing over at a chair that rested in the corner of her room, she watched as her uninvited guest leaned forward and rested his elbows upon his knees.

"Are you aware that you talk in your sleep?"

* * *

Kisame had heard the scream and lifted his eyebrow at the sound and continued to clean samehada. Women were strange creatures and they were too difficult for him to attempt to understand. But, seeing as how his partner was determined to see if the girl could follow through with her offer, he had gone into her room and would wait patiently for her to awaken. Let him deal with the pink-haired nut.

* * *

"What are you doing in my room?" Sakura demanded, her eyes narrowing. She watched as the man stood up and approached her. Knowing Itachi the way she did, he was obviously curious and if it were true that she did talk in her sleep, she probably revealed events that had not occurred yet, thus stirring Itachi's curiosity.

A curious Itachi was a dangerous thing, indeed.

"I was unaware that you and the kyuubi-container were in a relationship." Itachi stated. He stopped at the foot of her bed and tilted his head to the side. "The information I received was that you were still emotionally attached to my foolish brother and maintained a friendship with the kyuubi-container."

Sakura swung her legs off the bed and glared down at the floor. "I've already told you that I do not hold any further feelings for your idiot brother." She snapped. "As for me talking in my sleep and being in a relationship with Naruto, that is none of your concern. Everyone clearly knows my business already so why are now curious about my anything with Naruto, hm?"

Itachi allowed a smirk to form upon his lips. "And yet you have not denied that you and the container are in a relationship." He countered and moved to sit at the edge of the bed. "You are clearly upset and are hiding something. I wonder what it is."

"Has anyone ever told you that you are incredibly nosy?" Sakura replied tartly.

The dark-haired man stood up and made his way to the door. "And, has anyone ever told you that you are horrible when attempting to lie? Your ability to direct conversations in other directions is also lacking. If you are going to attempt to keep information from myself and Kisame, you will need to be much better at deception." He threw back and walked from the room with his head held high and it was at his back that Sakura childishly stuck her tongue at him.

"I saw that." He said dryly, as he closed the door behind him and leaving Sakura to fume. Of course, he didn't really see her, but he was telling her that he was already able to anticipate certain reactions from her and if she were honest with herself, she was somewhat comforted. Her Itachi, in the future, always anticipated her reactions and that was why he had such good luck at calming her down before she could blow up completely.

He was also correct, of course. She was horrible at lying and could never redirect him or the big-blue bully from what they wanted to know. More often than not they would harass her until she finally gave in and told them what they wanted to know. She could only thank the powers that be that she had never been captured by them when Akatsuki was still active. She would have been responsible for the downfall of Konoha.

* * *

When she decided that she had sulked long enough, she opened the door to her room and walked into the living room to find both Itachi and Kisame watching television. Well, Kisame was watching, but Itachi was listening. Taking a seat beside Itachi, she waited for a commercial and calmly said, "I want to eat first and then I'd like to examine your eyes."

Itachi nodded and cocked his head towards her. "I was rude and intrusive. For that, I apologize." He said, his tone even.

Sakura fought back the urge to groan. Gods, now he was in the polite stage and have even resorted to pointing out his own behavior in an attempt to get her to talk and perhaps give up information. He was trying to get on some sort of common ground about both of their rude comments to each other and was now expecting her to fall for it. Well, it wasn't going to work. Not this time.

"Thank you for your apology." She sniffed. "You were being rather rude."

Kisame was staring at each of them as though he was watching a tennis match and was currently staring at Itachi to see how he reacted to her comment.

Itachi lifted an elegant eyebrow and gave a slight nod. "I was only inquiring because you seemed upset when you awoke." He countered. "I was concerned that you would be too upset to work on my eyes."

Kisame turned his gaze towards her and waited for her reply. Forget the television show; this was better than what was on cable.

Sakura sucked in a deep breath. "Well, as you can tell, I am perfectly fine and am in total control of my emotions." She stated. "I am more than capable of fixing your eyes, so you need not worry."

Itachi smirked at her tone. "You appear to be agitated, Sakura. I wonder why that is." He said and leaned back in his seat.

"I am hungry." She snapped and stood up to walk over to the phone so that she could order dinner. With any luck, she could hide out in her room until it got there.

Kisame held his breath as a sneer crossed his partner's lips and knew that this little match was over. Itachi – 1, Sakura – 0.

"Tell me, Sakura." Itachi asked, his tone casual. "What exactly did Hyuuga Hanabi do to upset you so?"

* * *

Hanabi watched with careful eyes as Sasuke walked through the village, his hand rubbing over the cursed seal. She quietly followed him and when he was close to the Uchiha compound, she decided to make her presence known.

"If it still hurts, I will sooth it for you." She offered, her face schooled in innocence as she stood behind the avenger. "There is no reason for you to walk around in pain, Sasuke."

Sasuke turned to find the youngest of the Hyuuga standing behind him and he sneered down at her. "What makes you think that I'd ever want you to help me?" He demanded, his cursed seal making his temper even shorter than before.

Hanabi smiled. "Am I not the one who told you about your teammate's deception?" She asked. "I am one of the only people you can truly trust, Sasuke. After all, I have no vested interest in your life or what you do and I can, at least, ease your discomfort. I do hate to see people suffer."

Sasuke snorted, but then decided to let her try to help. After all, she had been truthful about Sakura, though he didn't believe that Sakura deceived him. Sakura had a right to her own belief about his character and after leaving her unconscious on a bench when she had tried to help him, he supposed that he deserved some distrust from her.

He watched as the young Hyuuga approached him and leaned down when she motioned to him. As soon as her hand touched his seal, he felt instant relief and closed his eyes to savor the sensation.

As she worked to sooth his seal, Hanabi leaned forward until her lips touched Sasuke's ear. "I am sorry for everything that you have been put through, Sasuke. I understand your need for vengeance and can help you." She whispered.

"Help me?" Sasuke asked, his eyes slowly opening to regard the young girl beside him. "How can you help me?"

Hanabi smiled and calmly asked, "What if I told you that I knew information about your brother and that Sakura held a soft spot for him?"

* * *

"I'll kill you!" Sakura exclaimed and dove across the table, reaching for the man who drew her ire. "Kisame, give it back!"

Kisame allowed his eyes to widen and innocently asked, "What? This?"

Sakura gritted her teeth as her last piece of fried chicken waved in the air on the top of Kisame's chopstick and then promptly disappeared into his mouth, his eyes closing as he savored the flavor.

Itachi sipped at his tea and listened as the young woman's teeth ground together. This entire situation was turning out to be more amusing than he thought it would be. The girl, Sakura, was so easy to harass and she took to the bait that he and Kisame set out perfectly. However, while the girl was entertaining, he needed to decide if she could be trusted enough to aid him and his partner in gaining retribution against Sasuke. After all, it had been Sasuke to send those hunters after them and it would be Sasuke who felt his wrath. He had given up so much for his foolish, little brother and despite resigning himself to a future of being on the run, he felt cheated in his life and what could have been and now if was as if Sasuke was attempting to rub salt into his wounds or at the very least make the hell that was his life even more miserable.

This would not do. Sasuke was about to learn that he should never anger his elder brother because despite everything, he was still stronger and smarter. In fact, Sasuke probably had no idea that his curse seal was beginning to affect his health. From what he had gathered from his initial conversation with Sakura, all of Orochimaru and Kabuto's experiments were beginning to take their toll on his body and Sasuke was none the wiser.

Taking a deep breath, he listened as Sakura moved around the room and when she finally called out to him that she would meet him in her room after she had taken her shower, he inclined his head in agreement and waited until she closed the door to her room. He quickly came to the decision that if she would not discuss the Hyuuga, then perhaps he could get her to discuss Sasuke.

Kisame leaned back in his seat, his good mood apparent. He gave a jaw-cracking yawn and said, "You know, for a leaf, she isn't half bad. You know who would have liked her? She and Konan would have gotten along famously."

Itachi hummed in agreement and when his ears picked up the sound of the shower cutting off in Sakura's room, he stood up and slid off his forehead protector. "There is more to this girl than meets the eye. I believe that she can be trusted." He said, though he really didn't expect Kisame to argue with his statement.

Kisame scratched his chin thoughtfully. "You know, it would be nice to have a medic around who could treat us." He said. "She smells pretty nice, too. And, she isn't a shrinking violet."

Itachi smirked as he agreed with his partner's thoughts regarding Sakura's scent. It was very pleasing, but he was no fool. She may deny it if asked, but he was positive that her heart belonged to the kyuubi vessel and even though many would claim that he didn't have any, his honor would never allow him to pursue a woman whose heart belonged to another.

When Sakura finally opened her door, she glanced at the two men on the sofa and softly sighed. Both men turned towards the soft sound and she shook her head as a soft smile crossed her lips. Memories from her true time came rushing forth and she realized that this exact scene had played out several times before in the future, but the only difference was the décor of the living room.

"Ok, Itachi." Sakura said as she opened the door wider. "You may come in now. Lie down on the bed and get comfortable. You will be there awhile."

Kisame wolf-whistled as Itachi stood up and began walking towards the room. Sakura shot a glare towards the blue-skinned male and before she closed the door, she stuck out her tongue and asked, "Jealous much?"

Kisame stared at the closed door and allowed a wide grin to cross his face. "Hell yeah!"

* * *

Itachi settled on the bed, as he listened to Sakura move about the room. When he felt the bed dip beside him, he stiffened momentarily, but then forced himself to relax. Her fingertips were soft and cool as they rested against his forehead. He heard her soft exhale of air and softly he asked, "What is it?"

Sakura bit her lip as she glanced down at him. "I cannot imagine how much agony you must be in." She whispered as her fingertips moved slowly over his eyelids. "I've known men who have broken down due to severe migraines, but from what I am finding; your migraines are in a class of their own. Technically, you should not even be able to operate, yet you move as though you are not in pain. How do you handle it?"

Itachi was quiet for a moment, but then said, "I have lived with it for a long time. If I don't move, I die. I have too much to do before I die and so, I keep going. There is not a question of how, but more of a question of why."

Sakura lifted her fingers and peered down at his face. He looked completely relaxed, but she was anything but. Despite their closeness, he had never told her about his past before the Uchiha massacre. Instead, he always told her that it was best to let the dead alone and that the events that had occurred were best forgotten.

So, because he had stoked her curiosity, she cautiously asked, "Then, why?"

His eyes slowly opened and Sakura felt her heart go out to him as his sightless eyes stared up into her own. His hand reached up and he allowed it to trail down her arm as he softly replied, "Love."

* * *

Naruto looked out into the night sky and only shifted his glance when Sai landed beside him. His blue eyes were trained upon the stars and he softly asked, "Do you think that Sakura is ok?"

"Butterfly is more than capable of taking care of herself." Sai replied, though his tone wavered slightly. "I've noticed some things about her and I've wanted to discuss them with you, if you have the time."

Turning to face his teammate, Naruto said, "Ok, but not here. Let's go and get something to eat and then you can talk."

Nodding, Sai followed Naruto towards a restaurant that was known for its late hours as Ichiraku was closed. Once they were seated, had their drinks, and their orders placed, Sai folded his hands on top of the table and quietly said, "I have noticed that butterfly has been friendlier with you in the last few days and her demeanor towards the Uchiha has grown colder."

Sitting back, Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I noticed it, too." He said, but then his blue eyes began to twinkle. "Maybe she is finally seeing that I'm a better catch than the teme."

Shaking his head, Sai said, "I don't believe that is it." While Naruto visibly deflated, Sai continued. "From what I have seen, her control over her emotions has matured and she carries herself much like Tsunade-sama. She is diplomatic, yet authoritative when she needs to be. I have seen this ability only in leaders who are older and much more experienced. Yet, when it comes to you, she is softer and looks at you with eyes that are filled with memories."

"How would you know what her eyes are filled with?" Naruto asked, curious. It wasn't as if Sai were the most intuitive guy around. Hell, he still thought that gifting people with nicknames would endear him to others. But, his insight into Sakura was nearly identical with his own. To be honest, he was enjoying the attention that Sakura bestowed upon him and for once, he didn't get the feeling that she was trying to make Sasuke jealous or that she was trying to prove some kind of point. It was as though she had done a complete one-eighty in attitude. He liked it.

Sai drummed his fingers on the table top and murmured, "I knew someone with eyes like hers. His eyes were filled with the memories of the ones that he lost, but he never gave up hope that one day, he would find someone to fill the void. Even though he was in ROOT, he never lost who he was and even fought against the strict codes. Both of them have the eyes of a survivor, someone who has been through hell and has lived to tell the tale. But, while I know his story, I do not know what has caused butterfly to have those same eyes. It is rather curious."

Naruto was quiet as he thought Sai's explanation through. Now that he mentioned it, he had also seen the shadows that danced through Sakura's eyes, especially that night when they were all at the bar and Shikamaru had thanked her for butting in. However, those shadows were gone just as quickly as they came and he had not thought anything of it…until now.

He didn't care what it took. When Sakura came home, he would sit her down and talk to her. He would attempt to get her to talk. And, if she could not or would not, he would figure it out on his own. After all, he would die fighting for the one he loved.

* * *

He waited until the younger men left before he lowered his book. Really, he had not meant to overhear their conversation and it was not his fault that they didn't notice him. But, after listening to them, he could not help but wonder if they were onto something.

He, too, noticed a drastic change in his former student, but he had not taken a real close look at her. Not until she challenged his authority. Oh, he was man enough to admit that even at the destroyed village, he had also come to the conclusion that there was something brewing, but unlike Sakura, he had not wanted to voice it. And, he didn't voice it because he knew what could happen if what he thought was correct. Sakura, on the other hand, had called it like she saw it and unlike him, she wasn't afraid to call it out. Her own tone had been authorative, even after he sent her back to the village and not once did she whine or cry like she would have before. No, instead she merely looked at him and simply told him what she thought.

This new Sakura was not someone he wanted to tangle with as he didn't know what to think about her. Sure, he'd been around plenty of opponents who took him by surprise, but at least he knew a bit about them before actually facing them and then pretty much winged it from there. With this new Sakura, he couldn't count on past experience to help him. It was as if she had evolved into someone older and more dangerous, though kept it carefully hidden behind beautiful green eyes that seemed to be searching for something.

He wasn't stupid. He knew that out of all of them, she was the one he failed the most. The little cry-baby who stared after the untouchable Uchiha had now become a woman whose eyes were haunted and for the life of him, he could not help but wonder if he helped put that look there.

He was always trying to shield her from the dangers out on the field, but he also knew that he was doing her more harm than good. Sure, she was a capable medic and kunoichi, but he treated her as though she were a civilian and now, she was slipping away and he didn't know how to fix it.

Standing up, he placed his money on the table and shoved his book into his back pocket. He walked out into the dark night and wondered if Sakura ever blamed him for his neglect because he sure as hell blamed himself.

* * *

She stared at him, her eyes wide as he waited for her answer. At first, she didn't think that she had heard him clearly, but as he waited patiently for her to respond, she realized that she had, in fact, heard him correctly and now, he wanted an answer.

Clearing her throat, she softly said, "I don't think you really understand what you are offering. You would be revealing all of your secrets to me and you don't know what I will do with the information after we part ways."

Itachi cocked his head to the side and replied, "And, you would be telling me your secrets, as well. We would have to trust that neither one of us would betray the other. However, who would ever believe a clan-murdering psychopath like myself when compared to you, the beloved Konoha medic. Please do not think that I have not heard the rumors of your intelligence and beauty. Your word carries weight with the hokage and other leaders such as Suna's kazekage. You would be gaining insight that no one has ever been able to obtain and I will truthfully answer any and all questions that you have, but in turn, you will answer mine."

"Itachi," Sakura murmured, her eyes closing as she thought of ways to get out of this situation as gracefully as she could. "There are things about me that are so unbelievable that I doubt that you would or even could believe me. It's not a fair trade."

Itachi gave a soft smile and said, "You would be surprised at what I could and could not believe. Now, Sakura, do we have a deal?"

Taking a deep breath, Sakura knew that he had her. If she were to truly accomplish what she had come to do, she would need both him and Kisame's help. So, when her eyes opened, she calmly said, "We have a deal, but will Kisame be a part of this?"

Nodding, Itachi said, "As I am sure you have noticed, my partner and I share a closeness that not many have. He will not reveal any of your secrets, either. And, he has his own secrets that may interest you."

Itachi closed his eyes and relaxed when he felt Sakura's fingertips gently settle on his eyelids. As her soothing chakra entered his damaged optic nerves, Itachi began his story.

"There once was a clan that coveted power so much that they were willing to wage war against their own village to obtain it. The village had its own agenda regarding my clan and they, too, were willing to wage war to retain that power. Stuck the middle, I was the pipeline to the village nerve center and this is where my story truly begins."


End file.
